iStock/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) -- NATO forces are preparing for their largest exercise since 2002, one that sends a message to one nation: Russia. Exercise Trident Juncture takes place in Norway and the surrounding seas later this month (Oct. 25 - Nov. 7) and involves 45,000 troops from 29 NATO countries, as well as partners Sweden and Norway. With approximately 150 aircraft, over 60 ships, and 10,000 vehicles, the training exercise represents how NATO could respond to an enemy invasion of a European NATO ally. But there's only one actor in the region the exercise is meant to deter. "[Trident Juncture] will have a deterrent effect on anybody who might want to cross those borders, but one nation in particular," Adm. James Foggo, the top U.S. admiral in Europe and the commander of Allied Joint Forces Command Naples, told reporters on Friday. While NATO has invited the Russians to attend the massive exercise, Foggo said they have not accepted, but he expects they'll want to attend. "It's in their interest to come and to see what we do. And they'll learn things. But you know what? I want them to be there so they can see how well we work together," he said. Foggo noted that Russia no longer holds the naval capabilities it once did during the Cold War, downplaying the sophistication of its surface fleet. But he did warn about Russia's advancements in submarine warfare. "Russia is not 10-feet tall, but they do have capabilities that keep me vigilant, concerned," Foggo said. "One of them is in the undersea domain." The admiral told reporters that Russia has six Kilo hybrid-class submarines operating in the Black Sea and eastern Mediterranean armed with Kalibr cruise missiles capable of hitting any European capital. "That's a concern to me, and it's a concern to my NATO partners and friends," Foggo said. "So we should know where they are at all times. Do I think that they would do something like that? No, I think they'd be foolish to do something like that. But, nevertheless, we should have that situation awareness. So it's in our best interest to have a better submarine force, and I believe that we do." Copyright 2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved. Privacy Overview This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful. NEW LAKAS MEMBERS. Philippine Constitution Association president and Lakas-CMD Party president Martin Romualdez (2nd from left), assisted by Lakas-CMD Party Secretary General and Surigao del Sur Rep. Prospero Pichay Jr. (left), administers the oathtaking ceremony of Eastern Samar candidates for its lone district, Congressman Rafael Asebias (center), Quinapondan Mayor Denver Balbuena, (2nd from right) and for Famy, Laguna Mayor Charlie Llamas (right), after a short meeting at the social hall of the House Speakers office at the House of Representatives. Ver Noveno Former Leyte Rep. Martin Romualdez, president of the Philippine Constitution Association, has backed the senatorial bid of detained former senator Ramon Revilla Jr. I am pleased and honored to officially announce the candidacy for the Senate of Senator Bong Revilla Jr., our party chairman, Romualdez said in a statement. Romualdez said Revillas decision to join the senatorial race in the May 2019 elections was reached after a series of consultations with his family, close friends, constituents and political leaders. The former Leyte congressman said Revilla is one of the most qualified senatorial aspirants. His passion and dedication to serve the people will bring positive change and help improve the countrys good governance, policies, and lawmaking process, Romualdez said. He added Revillas experience as a two-term senator has helped him gain an understanding about the complexities of various problems besetting the nation.Senator Bongs integrity and honesty will make him a strong candidate for the Senate. With the people and Gods help, the Lakas-CMD is looking forward to his victory in next years midterm poll, he said. Meanwhile, Romualdez said the Lakas-Christian Democrats will also support the senatorial candidates to be endorsed by Hugpong ng Pagbabago regional party of presidential daughter and incumbent Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte-Carpio. We look forward very well to local and national races. Lakas-CMD has produced two excellent presidents. President Fidel V. Ramos and President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and maybe someday, Lakas will produce another president, ended Romualdez, Lakas-CMD president and former House Independent Bloc Leader of the 16th Congress representing the first district of Leyte. Meanwhile, lawyer Lorenzo Larry Gadon, has also indicated his desire to run for senator and expressed confidence that he would win a Senate seat after next years midterm polls.Gadon had filed an impeachment rap against then Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno, which set the stage for the removal of the former chief justice through a quo warranto petition. I am very confident of winning because the people do not want idiots, he said. If you take a look at the social media, you will see that one can no longer fool the people, he added. Despite his low ranking in the Pulse Asias September survey, Gadon reiterated he would win because of his popularity. He lauded comedian Michael V. who spoofed him in his weekly television program, Bubble Gang. Where I go, people would mob me. These are the millennials, professionals, senior citizens, he said. Gadon is running under the Kilusang Bagong Lipunan. He said he would not ask for any endorsement from the Duterte administration. I am not begging for endorsement. I want to win on my own name. I will win on my own name, he said. More Evidence Of Manipulation In The Gold Market This past week, we saw that the Bank of Nova Scotia was charged by the Commodity Futures Trading Commission with multiple acts of spoofing in gold and silver futures between June 2013 and June 2016. Traders placed orders to buy or sell precious metals futures contracts with the intent to cancel the orders before execution, the CFTC said. So, the tin-foil hat wearers are back out in full force screaming about how this market rigging has caused gold to collapse over the last seven years. Unfortunately, anyone who believes this is simply not dealing with the facts of any of the supposed manipulation cases. You see, believing that these manipulation cases caused the gold market to drop from is 2011 high is no different from believing that a paper cut can cause someone to bleed to death. I have discussed my thinking on this matter before, and I think it is necessary to reiterate my perspective. Last year, Gold-Eagle reached out to me to write a section on market manipulation for their e-book on gold. Within that section, I addressed this paper cut argument: The second method through which they attempt to prove wholesale manipulation is to point to evidence of small price manipulations and suggest that these "paper cuts" have caused the market to bleed to death. None of their supposed "proof" provides even a shred of clear evidence that the gold market was manipulated to drop over 40% and that the silver market was manipulated to drop over 70%. The latest supporting "evidence" to which the manipulation theorists proudly hang their hat is the recent news about Deutsche Bank's admission of "manipulation." Everyone now assumes they have found the smoking gun which "caused" silver to drop by over 70%, which proves they were not wrong to be bullish all the way down. Of course, they can now "prove" that everyone was cheated out of their money due to this "manipulated" decline of 70%. Right? Wrong. This was not the first case regarding market manipulation, nor will it likely be the last. But, what many do not point out is that the manipulation dealt with in these cases is not the "manipulation" to which all the analysts have been pointing to explain why silver lost 70% of its value when they did not see it coming. You see, the manipulation dealt with in these cases were attempts by these banks to move the market by a very small percentage in order to make a quick buck off a very small move which they attempted to control, often during low volume periods of market action. This is what is claimed within the actual legal complaints filed against these banks, which generally provide that the banks "manipulated the bid-ask spreads of silver market instruments throughout the trading day in order to enhance their profits at the expense of the class." Moreover, and quite importantly, this type of small degree "manipulation" occurred whether the market was going up or going down, and such manipulation was not geared towards only dropping the market lower, as the manipulation theorists want you to believe. Please read that again. It was not claimed in these lawsuits that the manipulation had the purpose of taking the market down as you have been led to believe. These lawsuits do not support the commonly held proposition that the market was "manipulated" to drop 70%, as in the case of silver. To claim that these small degree "manipulations" caused the market to drop 70% is complete unsupportable nonsense, and is only used as a scapegoat by those who have been very wrong about the market, but refuse to take responsibility for their decisions. While many will undoubtedly misread my conclusions as my claiming that there is no manipulation in the market, and post comments about how wrong I am about claiming there is no manipulation at all in the market, I suggest you actually read what I have said again. And, if you still cannot come to the correct conclusions, allow me to lead you in the right direction. I do recognize that there is "manipulation" in the market by larger market participants. But, as the cases on the matter clearly point out, these "manipulations" are of a very small degree of market movement, or, "paper cuts," as I have referred to them above. Moreover, as the cases also present, these small degree manipulations occur in both directions. Please read that again: THESE SUPPOSED SMALL DEGREE MANIPULATIONS OCCURRED IN BOTH DIRECTIONS. Therefore, my proposition is that such "manipulation" did not cause gold to drop by 40% and silver to drop by 70%. And, I will reiterate my proposition that proof of a "paper cut" is not what caused the market to bleed to death. Rather, we call that a market correction and not a market manipulation. Accept it. So, as I said regarding the Deutsche Bank case, this recent case was not the first case regarding market manipulation, nor will it likely be the last. But, what many do not point out is this: the manipulation dealt with in these cases is not the gross manipulation to which all the analysts have been pointing to explain why silver lost 70% of its value when they did not see it coming. Remember, a paper cut did not cause this market to bleed to death, no matter what anyone wants to believe. To suggest otherwise is simply dishonest. Last week, I outlined my expectation on the gold market through the SPDR Gold Trust (NYSEARCA:GLD) structure I have been tracking: Yet, we still have a pattern that can count as an initial 5 waves off the recent lows. But, it is the wave degree higher that will either confirm or invalidate whether a bottom has been struck in the market. My suspicion, based upon the lack of a standard pattern off the low, is that we are stuck within a corrective rally, which will lead to a lower low once completed. And, based upon the current structure, we have resistance overhead between $116.25 and $118, which will likely turn us down deeper into our target box below. But, based upon the current structure, it does look as though resistance will be tested within the next week or two. As I write this, it would seem that GLD is in the midst of the rally I expected which would test the overhead resistance. Again, our main resistance is 116.25-118. Based upon the current structure, I am expecting resistance to hold, and set us up for one more decline to the final lows in this pullback off the April highs. Should the market provide more strength than I currently expect, then I will clearly be open to the lows having been struck already. Avi Gilburt is a widely followed Elliott Wave technical analyst and author of ElliottWaveTrader.net (www.elliottwavetrader.net), a live Trading Room featuring his intraday market analysis (including emini S&P 500, metals, oil, USD & VXX), interactive member-analyst forum, and detailed library of Elliott Wave education. 2018 Copyright Avi Gilburt - 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. 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. Prepare for a Gold/Silver Rally Our modeling systems are suggesting that Gold and Silver will begin a new upside rally very quickly. We wrote about how our modeling systems are suggesting this upside move could be a tremendous opportunity for investors over 2 weeks ago. Our initial target is near the $1245 level and our second target is near the $1309 level. Recent lows help to confirm this upside projection as the most recent low prices created a price rotation that supports further upside price action. What is needed right now is a push above $1220 before we begin to see the real acceleration higher. The Daily Gold chart, below, shows our Fibonacci modeling system suggesting that $1235 to $1250 are the upside target ranges. Near these levels, we should expect some price rotation before another leg higher begins. Currently, support near $1180 is the floor in Gold. If you are a fan of the shiny metals and want to know what we believe is likely to happen over the next 8+ months, then please take a moment to join the Wealth Building Newsletter to learn how we can help you find and execute better trades. We provide even more detailed research and predictive price modeling for our subscribers and we believe this bottom setting up in Gold may be the last time you see $1200 prices for a while. Check out www.TheTechnicalTraders.com today. Chris Vermeulen www.TheTechnicalTraders.com Chris Vermeulen has been involved in the markets since 1997 and is the founder of Technical Traders Ltd. He is an internationally recognized technical analyst, trader, and is the author of the book: 7 Steps to Win With Logic Through years of research, trading and helping individual traders around the world. He learned that many traders have great trading ideas, but they lack one thing, they struggle to execute trades in a systematic way for consistent results. Chris helps educate traders with a three-hour video course that can change your trading results for the better. His mission is to help his clients boost their trading performance while reducing market exposure and portfolio volatility. He is a regular speaker on HoweStreet.com, and the FinancialSurvivorNetwork radio shows. Chris was also featured on the cover of AmalgaTrader Magazine, and contributes articles to several leading financial hubs like MarketOracle.co.uk Disclaimer: Nothing in this report should be construed as a solicitation to buy or sell any securities mentioned. Technical Traders Ltd., its owners and the author of this report are not registered broker-dealers or financial advisors. Before investing in any securities, you should consult with your financial advisor and a registered broker-dealer. Never make an investment based solely on what you read in an online or printed report, including this report, especially if the investment involves a small, thinly-traded company that isnt well known. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report has been paid by Cardiff Energy Corp. In addition, the author owns shares of Cardiff Energy Corp. and would also benefit from volume and price appreciation of its stock. The information provided here within should not be construed as a financial analysis but rather as an advertisement. The authors views and opinions regarding the companies featured in reports are his own views and are based on information that he has researched independently and has received, which the author assumes to be reliable. Technical Traders Ltd. and the author of this report do not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, or usefulness of any content of this report, nor its fitness for any particular purpose. Lastly, the author does not guarantee that any of the companies mentioned in the reports will perform as expected, and any comparisons made to other companies may not be valid or come into effect. Chris Vermeulen Archive 2005-2019 http://www.MarketOracle.co.uk - The Market Oracle is a FREE Daily Financial Markets Analysis & Forecasting online publication. 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. 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. Assistant Treasurer the Honourable Stuart Robert MP is now flogging and hosting trips to the Holy Land. Sign up here! This bloke has no judgement. He was in the shit for a stupid trip to China with a party donor. He's allowed someone to run up a $2,800 bill in one month using a taxpayer funded mobile broadband modem. Now he's selling and going on tourist jaunts to Israel.. The man is a member of the cabinet - Assistant Treasurer. Let him go off on his travel jaunts. Let him go to Israel. After he resigns from the parliament. Thanks to the incomparable Seeker of Truth for the tip on this - it's a big story. "We take tonight's ceremony as seriously as we do the graduation of our high school seniors, and the diplomas are conferred with much gratitude and respect," said Superintendent Curt Dietrich. October 06, 2018 Scientists Raise Alarm Over U.S. Bio-Weapon Programs Recent evidence about deadly tests of biological substances in Tbilisi, Georgia raised alarm about U.S. biological weapon research in foreign countries. European scientist are extremely concerned about a dubious research program, financed by the Pentagon, that seems designed to spread diseases to crops, animals and people abroad. The creation of such weapons and of special ways to distribute them is prohibited under national and international law. The U.S. is running biological weapon research across the globe: Bio warfare scientists using diplomatic cover test man-made viruses at Pentagon bio laboratories in 25 countries across the world. These US bio-laboratories are funded by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency (DTRA) under a $ 2.1 billion military program Cooperative Biological Engagement Program (CBEP), and are located in former Soviet Union countries such as Georgia and Ukraine, the Middle East, South East Asia and Africa. Until the mid nineteen-seventies the U.S. military tested biological warfare weapons on U.S. people, sometimes over large areas and on specific races. After a Congress investigation revealed the wide ranging program such testing was moved abroad. Private companies use U.S. government controlled laboratories in foreign countries for secret biological research under contract of the U.S. military, the CIA and the Department of Homeland Security. Last month the Bulgarian journalist Dilyana Gaytandzhieva reported of one of these U.S. controlled bio-laboratories: The US Embassy to Tbilisi transports frozen human blood and pathogens as diplomatic cargo for a secret US military program. Internal documents, implicating US diplomats in the transportation of and experimenting on pathogens under diplomatic cover were leaked to me by Georgian insiders. According to these documents, Pentagon scientists have been deployed to the Republic of Georgia and have been given diplomatic immunity to research deadly diseases and biting insects at the Lugar Center the Pentagon biolaboratory in Georgias capital Tbilisi. Al Mayadeen TV broadcasted a video reportage about the laboratory and its deadly effects on Georgian 'patients'. Last week the Russian Ministry of Defense and the Russian Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of illegal biological weapon research in the Tbilisi laboratory: The question of what really might have taken place at the secretive US-sponsored research facility hosted by Russias southern neighbor was raised by the Russian military on Thursday after they studied files published online by a former Georgian minister. The documents record the deaths of 73 people over a short period of time, indicating a test of a highly toxic chemical or biological agents with high lethality rate, said Igor Kirillov, commander of the Russian military branch responsible for defending troops from radiological, chemical and biological weapons. The U.S. rejects the claims but it does not explain the documents, what kind of research is done near Tbilisi, and the unusual secrecy and security around the laboratory. It is not only the Russians and Georgians who are concerned about secret U.S. biological warfare research. German and French scientists recently raised alarm over another dubious Pentagon research project. by MPG/D.Duneka - bigger In October 2016 the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) announced a new project called Insect Allies: A new DARPA program is poised to provide an alternative to traditional agricultural threat response, using targeted gene therapy to protect mature plants within a single growing season. DARPA proposes to leverage a natural and very efficient two-step delivery system to transfer modified genes to plants: insect vectors and the plant viruses they transmit. In the process, DARPA aims to transform certain insect pests into Insect Allies, the name of the new effort. The scenario DARPA describes is quite complicate. If a crop, for example maize, were widely infected with some illness, a virus would be manipulated and applied to the crop. The itself genetically modified virus would genetically modify the crop to 'cure' the illness. Infected insects would be used to distribute the viruses across the fields. The program is run by the Biological Technologies Office (BTO) of DARPA. It does not come cheap. At least $27 million have been committed to it. If the discussed program were for purely agricultural purposes why would the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), which is part of the Pentagon, propose and finance such research? Scientist from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology in Plon, Germany, and the Institut des Sciences de lEvolution de Montpellier, France, along with legal scholars from the University of Freiburg point out that the method DARPA wants to apply makes little sense for the stated agricultural purposes. The eminent U.S. magazine Science published their work. The scientists ask if the project is Agricultural research, or a new bioweapon system? [A]n ongoing research program funded by the U.S. Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) aims to disperse infectious genetically modified viruses that have been engineered to edit crop chromosomes directly in fields. ... In the context of the stated aims of the DARPA program, it is our opinion that the knowledge to be gained from this program appears very limited in its capacity to enhance U.S. agriculture or respond to national emergencies (in either the short or long term). Furthermore, there has been an absence of adequate discussion regarding the major practical and regulatory impediments toward realizing the projected agricultural benefits. As a result, the program may be widely perceived as an effort to develop biological agents for hostile purposes and their means of delivery, whichif truewould constitute a breach of the Biological Weapons Convention (BWC). It its response to the Science paper DARPA again insists that the program is for purely agricultural purpose. But the response does not answer the questions the scientists put up. The mechanism of spreading infectious genetically modified viruses to genetically modify and 'heal' plants in the fields is itself full of problems and dangers. To use insects for distributing such viruses borders on insane. If one has access to the targeted crop fields and if one has a genetically modified virus to influence the plants why would one use insects to distribute it? Why not use the well known targeted process of spraying the affected fields, just like it is widely done today? Only when one does not have access to the fields, when these are situated in a foreign country the U.S. has no access to, does it make sense to use insects for such purposes. The idea that the real (and illegal) purpose of such U.S. research is biological warfare is not far fetched at all. During the Korea War the U.S. dropped infected insects and rodents over north Korea and China to infect people with deadly diseases. Various pathogens, including anthrax, were used against the civilian population. During the Vietnam war the U.S. sprayed thousand of square miles with poisonous defoliants. It tested biological weapons on the people of Hawaii, Alaska, Maryland, Florida, Canada and Britain. In 2002 weaponized anthrax spores from the U.S. biological warfare laboratory in Fort Derrick were used to scare U.S. politicians into agreeing to the Patriot Act. At least five people were killed. And why is the U.S. Air Force looking for synovial tissue and RNA samples collected specifically from Caucasian people in Russia? Biological warfare programs are extremely dangerous. Not only to 'the enemy' but to ones own population. Infectious diseases and pathogens can spread around the globe within a few days. Genetic modifications can have unpredictable secondary effects. Viruses can jump over the species barrier. These are the sound reasons why such weapons, and research into using them, are prohibited. The U.S. government should follow the law and stop all such programs. Even if only in the self interest of protecting its very own people. Posted by b on October 6, 2018 at 14:02 UTC | Permalink Comments We are still far from where ... By PTI NEW DELHI: Social networking platform Facebook Saturday said it will encourage engagement between people and political leaders on its platform for 'free and fair election' and deploy task force to check hate speeches during polls. "We want our platform to support free and fair election and positive civic engagement. We welcome people to engage with their political leaders but we don't want people to abuse that," Richard Allan, VP Global Policy Solutions, Facebook, told reporters. The company has faced criticism for misuse of its platform for manipulating views during elections, spreading hate speech etc. Facebook has come up with a policy around hate speech under which it removes content that intend to spread hate speech and violence etc. Allan said that the abuse differs from country to country but principle is same, and Facebook is accordingly fine-tuning its policy to address the issue. "When we see elections coming up, obviously India is top of mind, biggest democracy in the world, so we have a task force working on that -security specialist, content specialist. We try to understand what is possible form of abuse in India versus UK versus any other country," he said. Assembly elections are due in five states --Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Mizoram. Chhattisgarh will go to the polls in two phases on November 12 and 20, the Madhya Pradesh and Mizoram Assembly elections will be held on November 28. Assembly elections in Rajasthan and Telangana will be held on December 7. Facebook blocks content using automation as well as through experts after scrutinising it. The social media major has developed its guidelines based on feedback from local community experts. "We have a general policy that applies all across the world. As we have looked issues in different country, one of the things that came out was that there is a view that hate speech is directed against people in India, in particular, and Indians outside India also. They may direct hate speech against each other on the basis of caste," Allan said. He said that one should not carry out hate speech attack based on gender, ethnicity, national origin, disability, religion etc. Allan said that attacking a concept or saying someone that he doesn't like a religion is not a hate speech. However, one can not say that he hates followers of that religion or concept. "Trust is very clear distinction between no liking a concept, not liking an idea. Some people find that controversial. They feel attacking religion is same as attacking the same as followers," Allan said. He said that the company has a policy against excessively violent content and hate speech. "You can show images to raise awareness about violence, You can't show the image to encourage more violence. Video would not be allowed to be shown if it is a hate crime, somebody is killing someone because of their religion and there is any sense that person is trying to encourage more people to do the same. That will be a very very serious breach of the policy," Allan said. Facebook executive claimed that the company has developed good capacity to remove terrorist content, child abuse images and other images that cannot be legally shared through automation. Facebook has plans to have around 20,000 people working across different aspect of building the automation tools, security and content review to check hate speech. "When we got an election coming up, we will pull together specialists to work with political parties to understand. We will pull together security specialists. We will pull together people from our community operations team to check the standards are working well," Allan said. Facebook is working on features to enhance transparency on political advertisements on its platform during Indian elections by March. Allan said that phase one of the plan has been already implemented in India. "What the task force is trying to do is to make sure we don't miss things (abusive content) because we have seen in the past that we have missed things. In the run-up to US elections, there were things happening on the service issue, we didn't respond. It is really about making sure, in Indian context, in particular, we are not missing things," Allan said. BENGALURU: During the state elections last year, a campaign carried out by the Karnataka Janashakthi, a city-based youth group, urged citizens to Vote for Jobs when choosing a candidate.Mallige, one of the leaders of the campaign, says that the campaigns main focus was four groups the unemployed, students, unorganised labour and rural youth. Mallige was one of the panellists who spoke during the launch of the State of Working India 2018 report on unemployment trends, released by Azim Premji University on Thursday. The campaign concentrated mostly on rural and semi-urban areas, says Mallige. We found out that it was the unorganised labour group that responded to our campaign the most. It will surprise you all to know that the unemployed youth responded the least, says Mallige, adding, Youth are made to believe that unemployment is a personal problem, but this is not the case. One of the findings of the report states that despite the GDP growing over many years, it did not necessarily guarantee a growth in jobs. For example, the study says that between 2011 to 2015, the rate of GDP growth was 6.8 per cent, while the rate of jobs grew at only 0.6 per cent. Another reason, says Amit Basole, lead author of the report and a faculty at the university, is that the educated youth wait for better employment opportunities commensurate with their qualifications. However, the fact is that despite enrolment in educational institutions being high, at around 25 per cent, the number of jobs is not growing. Sectors such as agriculture have not grown, and the manufacturing sector has also lost jobs with increasing automation, Basole told CE. During his many field visits across the 30 districts of the state, Madan Padaki, founder, Bridge, a rural market platform, found out that at least 20-30 per cent migrants came back to their villages, unable to sustain themselves with the earnings in these cities. A father with four children was paying through his nose to get them educated. When I asked him if he had any savings, he said his children (three girls and one boy) were his savings. One was studying BEd, one BA, another DEd, and the boy was doing a nursing course, for which the father was paying `1 lakh per year. I didnt have the heart to shatter his dreams and tell him that there are no jobs, says Padaki. By PTI NEW DELHI: Twenty-four persons were arrested for allegedly duping customers of Microsoft by impersonating the company's tech support experts, police said Friday. Based on a complaint filed by a representative of Microsoft India, Nripendra Kashyap, a case was registered in the Cyber Crime Cell, they said. In his complaint, Kashyap alleged that numerous illegal Delhi-based call centres were targeting their customers by fraudulently circulating pop-up messages that their systems were affected by malware and are compromised, police said. He also alleged the accused charged somewhere between 100 and 500 USD from their customers. Acting on his complaint, 10 such call centres were identified and subsequently, raids were conducted on the intervening night of Wednesday and Thursday at locations across Delhi, including Rohini, Janakpuri, Dwarka Mod, Kirti Nagar, Moti Nagar, Hari Nagar, Mahipalpur, Shahdara and Okhla Phase-II, police said. Cheques from customers in the name of Microsoft Tech support, call recordings, virtual dialers, Microsoft Tech support training material, call log transcripts detailing the conversation with victims of fraud, payment gateway records, servers were seized from these centres, they said. Subsequently, 24 persons, including the owners and team leaders, were arrested, Anyesh Roy, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Cyber Crime), said. The companies -- ABS World Pro Click, Rise Solutions, Pegasus, Printer Tech, Instant PC Care, Pc Patchers technology Pvt.Ltd, ABS World, Pro Click services, ACS (Electronics & telecom e service), PAG Service Private Ltd, Star Enterprises, Tech Heracles, C-Zone were found to be running the call centres at their premises during the raid, he said. They created fake websites and designed advertisements to confuse customers into believing they will reach the official support service, he added. Microsoft said they have received several complaints from customers, who thought that they were calling Microsoft, and ended up speaking with a tech support scammer, the senior official said. The accused even used web browser pop-up messages which appear while a consumer is using a web browser, the officer added. Once the accused established contact with the customer, he persuaded the victim to allow him to remote access his computer to diagnose the alleged problem on the system, he said. The accused then tricked the victim into believing the system has a serious virus threat and tried to sell a service, often a costly long-term subscription agreement with an assurance to fix their problem, the DCP said. The accused sometimes even accessed financial and identity data from the victim's computer while fixing the issue and even installed malware onto their systems, the police said, adding that the arrested persons were taken into police custody and further investigation is underway. by Reese Erlich Filipinos still remember the disaster that hit their country thirty-five years ago. Philippine leader Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino Jr., the leading crusader against the dictatorship of Ferdinand Marcos, was brutally murdered after he stepped off a plane in the Manila airport on August 21, 1983. His murder set in motion the People's Power Revolution of 1986, which brought his wife Cory Aquino to power. Their son Benigno Aquino III served as elected president from 2010 to 2016. In the years since his death, Ninoy has become almost a saint in the Philippines, an apostle of spirituality and nonviolence. But in a 1981 interview I did with him in Boston, Ninoy emerged as far more complex. While professing nonviolence, he admitted ties with a group that bombed tourism hotels in Manila. While professing to be a man of the people, he revealed himself as a coldly vindictive and profane politician. His legacy continues to impact contemporary Philippine politics as seen in the election of right-wing authoritarian President Rodrigo Duterte. Ferdinand Marcos was elected Philippine president in 1965 but imposed martial law in 1972 and ruled as a brutal dictator for fourteen more years. The United States backed Marcos almost to the very end. U.S. corporations had major investments in the Philippines, and the Pentagon maintained two important military bases there as well. As always, U.S. military and corporate interests were more important than democracy or human rights. Ninoy and Cory Aquino both came from wealthy and powerful families who had fallen out with Marcos. Ninoy was arrested in 1972 for opposing the dictatorship and spent over seven years in prison. In 1980, Marcos allowed him to travel to Houston for heart surgery. Then Aquino landed a fellowship at Harvard University where he met with many Filipino exiles and students. He told me of an incident that revealed he wasn't the saint his supporters would later claim. It was about a business administration student who refused to meet with him, saying Marcos might see it as black mark on his parents. "Fuck you," Aquino recalled saying to the student, still seething as he recalled the incident months later. "What about your black mark with me? What if I come to power? I have all your names and I will remember you." As with other historical figures, it matters how Ninoy Aquino is remembered. Philippine Daily Inquirer. "Ninoy was an old-school politician, but he couldn't abide by the injustice and impunity of the Marcos regime," Rene Ciria-Cruz told me in a recent interview. Ciria-Cruz was a Marxist and anti-dictatorship activist in the 1980s, and is now U.S. bureau chief for the In 1983, Aquino returned to Manila with a plane full of supporters and journalists. He was shot as he walked onto the tarmac. Marcos's military officers were later convicted of planning the assassination. "I met him before he went on his fateful trip home," recalled Ciria-Cruz. "He had fantasized about flying his plane, filled with bombs, into the presidential palace. We thought it was just macho posturing. But it also became clear that he was approaching his fight not as a personal rivalry with Marcos but with a real concern for the country." Aquino was interested in talking with me because just months before our interview, I had interviewed members of the New People's Army, which was led by the Communist Party of the Philippines . The communists had become a growing political force because of their staunch opposition to Marcos. The party carried out a Maoist strategy of people's war in which the peasants in the countryside would surround the major cities and bring down the regime. The NPA aimed its armed actions against politicians, businessmen, the military and police, although civilians were inevitably killed. The Aquinos, on the other hand, were social democrats who initially called for nonviolent struggle to restore democratic institutions and reform the crony capitalism of the Marcos regime. Unable to participate in elections, however, the soc dems, "as abbreviation happy Filipino activists called them," turned to armed struggle as well. Clandestine groups known as the Light a Fire Movement and the April 6 Liberation Movement set off bombs in hotels to discourage tourism and hurt Marcos's economy. They intended only to destroy property, but one U.S. tourist was killed and thirty-three other civilians were wounded. The Marcos administration accused Aquino of leading the Light a Fire Movement, which Ninoy publicly denied. In December 1980, Imelda Marcos, the president's politically powerful wife, met with Aquino in New York. In my interview, Aquino let slip his support for the terrorist tactics. Referring to the bombings, Aquino told me Imelda Marcos was "candid enough to admit that we have caused damage to tourism and foreign investments." I asked him who were the "we." "All the opposition groups I suppose," he replied rather lamely, knowing that his allies were bombing the hotels. He had let the cat out of the bag. Aquino went on to admit that he had the ability to stop the bombings if the Marcos regime made concessions. Anti-Marcos activist Ciria-Cruz said Aquino was connected with Light a Fire, "but he was most likely not the leader who determined and knew all the details." Several Light a Fire leaders later became prominent officials in the Cory Aquino administration. The social democratic effort at armed struggle failed militarily, with some of the leaders getting caught smuggling arms through the Manila airport. But after Ninoy's assassination, Cory Aquino took the reins of the anti-Marcos opposition. By February 1986, mass demonstrations and a rebellion in the military forced Marco to flee to the United States and brought Cory to power. She carried out many of Ninoy's policies, according to Ciria-Cruz. "Cory's publicly declared goal was to reestablish liberal democracy and its institutions, to be merely a transition government, and that was it." She didn't fight to eliminate poverty or develop an independent foreign policy. "I think Ninoy would have done the same thing," Ciria-Cruz continued. "I didn't detect any predisposition for groundbreaking social reforms from both of them. Other traditional politicians disenfranchised and marginalized by Marcos became resentful of the U.S., if not openly nationalistic, which led to the willingness of some politicians to remove the U.S. bases after Marcos was ousted." Ninoy's son Benigno Aquino III, president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016, carried out many of the same centrist policies and did little to fight poverty, establish full rights for workers or implement land reform. Corruption remained rampant. In 2016, right-wing populist Rodrigo Duterte took advantage of popular discontent with the centrists. Like Trump, he talked tough about helping ordinary people. He promised to crack down on drugs and corruption, the Filipino version of draining the swamp. Duterte has arrested more than 50,000 people on minor offenses, such as public intoxication or using drugs. He has jailed one senator on trumped-up corruption charges and is trying to arrest another. Critics have compared Duterte to Marcos. David Borden, a leader of the U.S.-based Stop the Drug War.com , told me Duterte has created "a dangerous situation for anyone who criticizes the president, and he is a danger for democracy." Filipinos are increasingly opposed to Duterte's policies. The lasting legacy of Ninoy Aquino may well be the need for another Filipino uprising against a dictatorial ruler. Donita Jose By Express News Service HYDERABAD: I am the first person in my family to graduate from a college, says 20-year-old Aruna N. Hailing from an agrarian family based in Mahbubnagar, Aruna lost her father a month ago, threatening her prospects of higher education. But today, Aruna was awarded a gold medal for her outstanding academic performance during the graduation ceremony of University College for Women, Koti. Not just that, Aruna, who studied B.A. Telugu from the University College for Women, is now pursuing her masters in political science from Delhi University. This is an emotional moment for me, says Aruna speaking to Express. I never saw myself coming this far. Being one of the seven gold medal winners, Aruna was felicitated by the Chief Guest of the occasion Vice President Venkaiah Naidu. The highest point for me today, Aruna beams, was when the Vice President highlighted the importance of mother tongue. She always felt that people who conversed in Telugu were looked down upon here, she says. As a student who really loved Telugu literature and excelled in it, the Vice Presidents speech on mother tongue was very moving for me, she says. Studying in Kamla Nehru college in Delhi now, Aruna recalls how shifting from Mahbubnagar, where she completed her schooling, to Hyderabad for graduation was scary for her. Since then Aruna moved again from Hyderabad to Delhi and switched her mode of study from Telugu to English. I was very scared moving to Hyderabad. This would not have happened if not for my mother and teachers, she says. Arunas parents are farmers who cultivated ragi and jowhar for a living. About a month ago, after her father passed away, Arunas mother had to dig into money from insurance claims to ensure her education is not disrupted. My mom was even contemplating selling her jewels but we managed to get past that crunch without having to do so, she says. Since our father isnt with us anymore, I need to find a job fast, maybe in the next three years. I am planning to give a shot at civil service exams as that is my real passion, says Aruna. Ajay Kanth By Express News Service KOCHI: Some state-based companies are under the scanner as the National Investigation Agency and Central enforcement agencies raised red flags after tracking money trails that allegedly lead to people involved in anti-national activities. According to intelligence officers, the agencies have flagged a few bank accounts belonging to the suspects after a probe found links to the bank accounts that have already been frozen for involvement in terror funding. As per the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), 20 bank accounts belonging to companies and individuals suspected to be involved in terror funding were frozen in 2016-17. The accounts had `14.09 crore. The NIA is also probing two cases related to the involvement of companies in connection with terror funding. Its suspected that a few organisations are being funded by these firms under the cover of education and charity projects. We are verifying the transactions that have taken place between the bank accounts, said the officers. The Financial Intelligence Unit under the Ministry of Finance has been coordinating with the MHA to keep tabs on the flow of foreign funds to Indian NGOs. There is no clarity on the purpose for which the money is spent by these NGOs. The MHA has already cancelled the Foreign Contribution (Regulation) Act (FCRA) registration of 980 NGOs in the state between 2012 and 2015, they said. A probe by Central agencies had found that a few Qatar-based institutions, including government departments, were transferring funds to organisations in Malappuram and Kozhikode districts. In 2016, six such organisations received more than `7 crore from Qatar. As per the details, the Gulf countrys Ministry of Endowment was the biggest contributor with `3.5 crore, followed by institutions called WNO Qatar WC in Doha, Qatar Charity and Hassan Group. By Express News Service KOCHI: The widening of the road between Chambakkara and Petta, which was one of the major stumbling blocks in the construction of the Metro Rails first phase, is nearing completion. As per the authorities concerned, the widening work will be completed in another seven to 10 days. Once the work is over, the stretch will be handed over to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Though the DMRC was able to launch the construction of Metro Rail between Aluva and Vyttila in a time-bound manner, the construction from Vyttila to Petta remained a non-starter for nearly two years due to the delay in land acquisition. Later, the land up to Thykoodam was acquired and handed over to DMRC. However, the reconstruction of Chambakkara bridge and the widening of the road between Chambakkara and Petta delayed the construction beyond Thykoodam. We hope the stretch will be handed over to DMRC in another 10 days. Once it is handed over, the piling work for Metro will be launched without any delay, said the official spokesperson of DMRC. By PTI SINGAPORE: Actor-director Nandita Das hopes that her latest feature "Manto", gets a global release, especially in Pakistan, as the film is a biographical drama on famed Urdu writer Saadat Hasan Manto who had left India after the Partition. "I wish, like many other Bollywood films, it is screened in Pakistan," she told PTI after screening of "Manto" at the South Asian Film Festival on Friday. " 'Manto' must be shown in Pakistan as the author is an Indian and a Pakistani too," said Das, who left for Busan for the film's screening at the Korean film festival. The film follows the title character, played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui, and shows the painful strains of separation following the 1947 Partition of India and Pakistan. Das said Indian writers should be known globally, with Manto being one of the greatest among them, just like Shakespeare is considered a great playwriter, not just one of an English origin. "Manto" opened the Singapore festival to a full house at the 1,000-seat cinema hall, one of the largest seating capacity theatres in the country. Thirty-five films from South Asian countries are scheduled for screening over the 10-day festival, said Abhayanand Singh, CEO of organisers, Indie Moviz Pte Ltd. "At the heart is great content and good cinema," added Singh, pointing out that "Manto" has attracted strong interests even from non-South Asian cinema fans in Singapore. The festival is also hosting series of other cinema related events, including workshops on acting and filmmaking as well as the inaugural film market, where investors would evaluate opportunities to finance creative films, said Singh. By PTI MUMBAI: Tanushree Dutta filed Saturday a police complaint against Nana Patekar for allegedly harassing her on the sets of a film in 2008, police said. ALSO READ | Nana Patekar denies Tanushree Dutta's sexual harassment allegations, says "a lie is a lie" "Tanushree Dutta has given us a complaint against Nana Patekar. As of now, there is not any FIR registered in this case," Additional Commissioner of Police (West) Manoj Kumar Sharma told PTI. Dutta, in an interview recently, had alleged that Patekar misbehaved with her while filming a special song for the film 'Horn Ok Pleasss' 10 years ago. ALSO READ | Women should call out perpetrators to create safe work environment: Malaika Arora Several actors from Bollywood lauded Dutta for talking about this incident but there were some celebrities who questioned her for not taking a legal route. Patekar, who was shooting for "Housefull 4" in Jodhpur, landed here Saturday. "I said this 10 years ago. A lie is a lie (Dus saal pehle bol chuka hoon, ab jo jhoot hai woh jhoot hai)," Patekar told reporters here at the airport Saturday. The actor will hold a press conference on October 8 at his residence in suburban Andheri. Patekar's lawyer has sent a legal notice to Dutta demanding her apology. A Sharadhaa By Express News Service The countdown for Prems upcoming film The Villain has begun. Starring Shivarajkumar and Sudeep in lead roles, the film is slated for a mega release on October 18. Meanwhile, the director is reportedly miffed with the films heroine, Amy Jackson, the reason being her absence at the promotions. According to Prem, the south Indian, Bollywood and Hollywood heroines presence was expected at the pre-release teaser launch, which was held early this week. But she went incommunicado, and this is not going down well with the director who didnt see why she should have gotten an exemption from the promotions when the other actors were present. I respect her work, and she has done justice to the role, but to be honest, she lacks communication skills. Even superstars like Rajinikanth and Amitabh Bachchan take some kind of responsibility when it comes to promoting their films, and acknowledging the directors work. But here, forget being present, it takes days to get a reply from Amy to even know whether she will be present at an event, says Prem, whose film will be released in Kannada and also in Telugu and Tamil. The director is clear that this treatment towards a Kannada film is unacceptable. Any actor part of a project, should take responsibility of promoting the film. We will accept this if she did the same in Bollywood, Hollywood and other language films, says Prem, adding, In fact owning to Amys busy schedule, every one in the team, including lead actors Shivanna and Sudeep cooperated and adjusted their dates to match Amys. Thankfully, nobody had any complaints about it, he says, adding that since she was making her debut in Kannada with The Villain, people would expect to know her experience in working in her first Kannada film. And that is possible only if she participates in media interactions. With just two weeks left for the films release, she has not made any kind of attempt to promote the film. This is really upsetting, says Prem. Namita Bajpai By Express News Service LUCKNOW: While three police station house officers (SHOs) were removed, three constables were suspended for leading "Black Day" protest at three separate police stations of the state capital here on Friday. Meanwhile, two dismissed cops -- Avinash Pathak and Brajendra Yadav -- were arrested in Mirzapur and Varanasi, respectively, also on Friday for inciting policemen and garnering support for constable Prashant Choudhary, the prime accused in Apple executive Vivek Tiwari murder case. Both Pathak and Yadav were dismissed from provincial armed constabulary (PAC) in 2012 for gross indiscipline and dereliction of duty. Notably, the constables against whom action has been initiated had instigated the fellow cops to sport black band on their arms over uniform at three police stations of Lucknow and also at the camp office of the senior superintendent of police in Lucknow, and then uploaded their images in social networking sites. Taking affront of the issue, CM Yogi Adityanath summoned UP DGP, Chief Secretary and Principal Secretary, home, and directed them to initiate action against the protesting cops who were backing Vivek Tiwari murder accused constable Prashant Choudhary. While the DGP ordered a probe into the protests, slain Apple executive Vivek's widow Kalpana Tewari demanded action against cops who were supporting her husband's killers. The Lucknow police went into a tizzy as soon as pictures of police constables sporting a black band at Aliganj, Naka and Gudamba police stations in state capital went viral. Initially, the senior police officials kept claiming that the pictures doing rounds on social media were morphed but in the evening Lucknow SSP was asked to conduct an inquiry into the protests. According to SSP, Lucknow, Kalanidhi Naithani, the initial probe indicated the involvement of three constables -- Jitendra Kumar Verma, Aliganj police station, Sumit Kumar (Gudamba) and Gaurav Chaudhary of Naka police station - were suspended as they were held accountable for gross indiscipline. The SSP also added that action against in-charges of three police stations -- Parshuram Singh (SHO Naka), Ajay Yadav (SHO Aliganj) and Dharmesh Shahi, SHO, Gudamba -- was also taken on account of indiscipline. To a question on cops wearing black ribbons standing outside his camp office- the SSP claimed that they were not from the district and had come from other districts to be deployed in ongoing science festival. Meanwhile, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) (Law&Order) Praveen Kumar Tripathi said that no indiscipline would be tolerated in the force. "We are a disciplined unit and the law is taking its course in the FIRs lodged against unidentified constables' case," said Tripathi. He also said that all the SP/SSPs of the district have been told to keep an eye on the activities of the constables of their districts on social media and WhatsApp groups."If any constable is found making any post then the police will initiate legal action against them," said Tripathi. In the meantime, the two ex-cops -Brijendra Yadav of Varanasi and Avinash Pathak of Mirzapur are respectively the founder-president and general secretary of Arajpatrit Police Welfare Association which had given a call to the cops sport black band on Friday in support of Choudhary. As per Mirzapur SP Shalini, Pathak was booked under Sections 419 (cheating by impersonation), 505 (statements inducing to public mischief), and 353 (assault or criminal force to deter public servant from discharge of his duty) of IPC. However, Yadav was booked under Sections 353 and 505 of IPC. By Express News Service NEW DELHI: Fresh off the controversy over the presence of Muhammad Ali Jinnahs portrait in Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) in May, the university administration on Friday served a show-cause notice to the librarian of the Central Library, Dr Amjad Ali, for displaying photographs featuring Jinnah as part of an exhibition on the occasion of Gandhi Jayanti. The exhibition was inaugurated by AMU pro vice-chancellor Mohammad Hanif Beg.According to AMU public relations officer Shafey Kidwai said the exhibition is an annual affair and photographs and books related with the Mahatma are put on display at Central Library. The university authorities were not aware about the selection of photographs and thus, in view of past controversies, the photographs were removed... said Kidwai. A show cause notice was served to Dr Ali in which, he has been asked to reply within three days, said officials.AMU student union president Mashkoor Usmani however, said, First remove Jinnahs photos from Parliament then ask us to remove it from campus. The Muslim league leader had been a part of AMU history, he said. BJP leader Shakuntala Bharti however, said, An educational institute should not be disgraced by a few elements (Jinnahs photo) like this.In May, violence was reported on the AMU campus after right-wing activists clashed with students over Jinnahs portrait at the students union office. Old stir BJP MP Satish Gautam had demanded the removal of Jinnahs portrait from the central hall of AMU By Express News Service MUMBAI: The Congress needs to rethink its alliance with Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) as Sharad Pawar negated Congress President Rahul Gandhis Rafale logic, Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh(BBMS) leader Prakash Ambedkar said on Friday. Ambedkar, who has already forged an alliance with the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) to gather Dalit and Muslim votes, has also been eyeing an alliance with the Congress. We have told the Congress that of the 28 Lok Sabha seats in Maharashtra that they havent been able to win over past three elections, 12 should be left for us. Im confident that we can win all the 28 seats. But, we are demanding only 12 as of now, Ambedkar said adding that it is the Congress that needs to take a call. Prakash Ambedkar Ambedkar also slammed the grand old party for tying up with the NCP saying that the Congress should rethink the alliance. While Congress party president Rahul Gandhi had been alleging corruption over the Rafale deal, NCP chief Pawar has given a clean chit to the Modi government. [This] is nothing but an insult to the Congress president. How can the Congress go with the NCP in such a case? asked Ambedkar. Hitting out at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the Centre, Ambedkar said around 3.30 lakh families with a wealth of over `50 crore are feeling unsafe in the country due to the various policies implemented by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and are fleeing the country. Families are fearing that they may get arrested at any time and are trying to flee the country by selling off their wealth. Out of 3.30 lakh such families having a wealth more than `50 crore, 75,000 families have already left the country and others may leave if the BJP government comes to power again, Ambedkar said. Wealthy families leaving the country is one of the reason behind the depleting rupee. They fear sudden, undue prosecution by the Enforcement Directorate (ED), the Income Tax or other agencies, he added. By PTI NEW DELHI: India and Russia on Friday signed a pact to further enhance cooperation in the area of nuclear energy and agreed to expand collaboration in the arena in third world countries. A joint statement said the two sides reiterated their commitment to further strengthen global non-proliferation, and Russia expressed its support for India's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. "The sides noted the progress achieved in the construction of the remainder of the six power units at Kudankulam NPP as well as the efforts being made in the components manufacturing for localization. The sides welcomed consultations on the new Russian designed NPP in India, as well as on the NPP equipment joint manufacturing of nuclear equipment, cooperation in third world countries," the joint statement said. Also Read | PM Modi, Russian President Putin pledge to boost ties Russia has build two VVER reactors with a capacity of 1000 MW each at Kudankulam in Tamil Nadu. Work on building four more reactors is underway. "We have discussed in detail the flagship project of Kudankulam on the peaceful use of nuclear energy. The first two units of this power plant are running in their full capacity. Third and fourth are being constructed, the fifth and sixth units are being constructed next," he said. Putin said Russia plans to build 12 more nuclear reactors in next 20 years. Read | PM Modi invites Russia to set up defence industrial park in India "In particular the two countries intent to develop the project of six nuclear power units of Russian design at a new site in India, further enhance cooperation in the third countries and in new perspective nuclear technologies along with joint construction of nuclear power plants," the joint statement added. The two countries are cooperating in the Roppur Nuclear Plant in Bangladesh. In his joint press statement with Prime Minister Narendra Modi after the talks, Putin said Russia is a "reliable supplier" of hydrocarbons to India. Read | S-400 Triumf air defence system can launch 72 missiles simultaneously, engage 36 targets at a time He said India imports Russia's Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). "We are supplying this gas from Sakhalin 1 field in which Indian partners own 20 per cent. In June, the first batch of LNG was sent to the Indian market," he said. Putin also welcomed Indian energy companies to expand their business in Russia. He said Russian railways companies are ready to participate in the project to build modern rail roads in India. The president said "we will work closely to strengthen security cooperation in Asia and will combat threats such as international terrorism, drug trafficking". By PTI SRINAGAR: The body of a man, who was abducted by militants from Sopore town, was found with his throat slit in Jammu and Kashmir's Baramulla district Saturday, police said. Tawseef Ahmad Ganie (30), a resident of Tujjar area of Sopore, was abducted from his shop Wednesday, a police official said. The body, was found in an orchard in the Check Harwan area of the north Kashmir district Saturday morning, the official said. Preliminary investigations reveal that proscribed militant organisation Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT) was behind the abduction and killing, he said. The official said police have registered a case and the matter is being investigated. READ| Jammu and Kashmir local body polls: Can democracy sustain amidst militancy? Amit Agnihotri By Express News Service NEW DELHI: The Congress, which has decided to make the plight of farmers a major poll plank, plans to hold mega protests in Delhi for presenting itself as a champion of the agrarian community. After experimenting with protests related to farm crisis in Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Haryana over the past one year, it wants to stage a coordinated mega national rally of its own in Delhi on October 23 and another one in January next year. We will hold a big farmers rally in Delhi on October 23. Later, we will hold a bigger protest in Delhi in January, Khet Mazdoor Congress Cell chairperson Nana Patole told TNIE. The Congress leaders are also in touch with over 100 farmer organizations, urging them to join hands with the party for the rallies. Issues such as hollow promises over MSP hike, crop insurance scheme, farmer suicides, rising input costs, marketing problems and non-payment of dues are some of the points that the Congress will flag against the Centre. Patole, a former Lok Sabha member from Bhandara-Gondia in Maharashtra, claimed the BJP hardly cared for the farmers and has been only paying lip service to the community. BJP chief Amit Shah used to tell us that development does not help in winning elections, otherwise the Congress would not have lost. The Modi government has not done anything for the farmers. I was frustrated with the BJP. Hence, I left them, he said. For Patole, the new responsibility of heading the Kisan and Khet Mazdoor cell means that he must live up to the expectations of party chief Rahul Gandhi. The farmers plight will dent the Modi government. We will organize the community and raise their voice. Commenting on the recent farmers march to Delhi from western Uttar Pradesh, he said the new group will enter Delhi from all possible routes. Planning for the October 23 event has started in coordination with the state units, he added. By PTI SRINAGAR: A day after two of her party workers were killed here in the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, National Conference (NC) MLA Shameema Firdous Saturday blamed the BJP-RSS and the governor's administration for the killings. "I have no hesitation in saying that the BJP-RSS killed my workers. I have no doubt about it," she told reporters here. The Habbakadal MLA also blamed the Governor Satya Pal Malik-led administration for the killings, which she claimed were the result of a well-planned conspiracy to deter the NC and the people of the state from participating in the Assembly polls. The two NC workers were shot dead by militants in the Karfali Mohalla area of the city Friday, while another worker of the party was injured in the attack, the police said. Firdous criticised the governor and police for making "false claims" of security arrangements, saying the gunmen had come to the locality twice with a design to open fire on her party workers. "Where was the police? Where were the security checkpoints? What happened to the assurances of the governor of free, fair and secure polls?," she asked. Firdous said NC workers had always helped the poor and needy and would go to the houses of the people to inquire about their well being. "No militant outfit has claimed responsibility for these killings. The government and the governor are equally responsible for the killings of my workers," she said while breaking into tears. Firdous said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was going all out to ensure victory in the local bodies' polls, which her party had boycotted over the issue of Article 35A. "We have no connection with the election process, but the BJP has. A BJP leader has admitted that his party has fielded candidates as independents. They are doing everything to win these polls," she added. The NC leader asked the governor to order a probe into the killings of her party workers and ensure that the killers were unmasked. "There is much more to the killings of my workers than meets the eye," she said. Amit Agnihotri By Express News Service NEW DELHI: All is not lost for the Opposition unity ahead of the 2019 general election, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said in his first reaction to BSP supremo Mayawatis snub of going alone in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan. Rahul, who is being projected by the Congress prime ministerial nominee, said the opposition parties have to defeat the BJP-led NDA together and then decide the PM candidate. But if alliance partners wanted me, I will become the PM, he said at an event. Mayawati has announced a pre-poll alliance with Congress-rebel Ajit Jogis Chhattisgarh Janata Congress. But, Rahul sounded confident of doing well in the polls. I dont think that Mayawatis decision not to have an alliance with the Congress in MP will impact us. Noting that pacts for state polls and alliances for the national elections were two separate issues, Rahul hoped Opposition parties would come together, particularly in UP where he is pushing for a BSP-SP-Congress-RLD alliance to take on the BJP. Rahul took a question on soft Hindutva, saying he had been visiting temples in the past. Ive been going to temples, gurdwaras, mosques for the last 16 years...The BJP feels that only they can go to temples, he said, adding his fight with the BJP was ideological. Rahul said his leadership style was different from his mothers functioning. She (Sonia) told me that she goes on gut feeling, and I go on thinking, he said, and pointed that leadership evolves with time. I am going much more into listening to people and understand what is it that they are trying to do. She has taught me patience. I used to be much more impatient... Sometimes I tell her she is too patient. Regarding the Centres economic policies over demonetization and a flawed GST, Rahul said the Congress had hit the streets to protest against the government. The Indian government has gone to war with its own people because it wants to impose one imagination on 1.3 billion of us. It wants to impose one singular, suffocating memory on our 1.3 billion memories, he said. By PTI NEW DELHI: In a fresh attack on industrialist Anil Ambani, Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday said one can land Rafale deal contracts worth "Rs 1.3 lakh crore" if he is the prime minister's "BFF" (best friend forever). Gandhi's comments referred to the offset deal between French aerospace giant Dassault Aviation and Ambani's Reliance Defence after the BJP-led NDA government entered into an agreement with France to buy 36 Rafale fighter jets. ALSO READ | Find out which 'version' is true: P Chidambaram on Arun Jaitley's Rafale deal remarks "When your BFF is the PM, you can get the 1,30,000 Cr. Rafale deal, even without relevant experience. But wait. There's more! Apparently, 400,000 JK Govt staff will also be arm-twisted into buying health insurance ONLY from your company!" he said in a tweet, citing a media report. The report claimed that the Jammu and Kashmir government has chosen Reliance General Insurance, a wholly owned subsidiary of Ambani's Reliance Capital, to provide health insurance for its employees, pensioners and accredited journalists. READ | Prashant Bhushan calls Rafale deal the 'largest defence scam' in India Ambani has earlier rejected Congress allegations on the Rafale offset contract and said the government had no role in Dassault choosing his company as a partner. The Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government has also denied any irregularity in the deal with France. By PTI PUNE: Central Railway Saturday informed that it had given compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of the deceased in Friday's hoarding collapse incident. A 40-feet hoarding Friday collapsed on vehicles which had halted at Shahir Amar Shaikh Chowk traffic light near Pune Railway Station, killing four people and injuring five others. The hoarding was being dismantled at around 2 pm by a contractor hired by the railways when it came crashing down. Two railway employees -- junior engineer Sanjay Singh and his assistant Pandurang Wanare, were produced before a court here Saturday and remanded in police custody till October 11. "We have paid compensation of Rs 5 lakh each to the next of kin of Shamrao Kasar (70), Shamrao Dhotre (48), Shivaji Pardeshi (40) and Javed Khan (40)," said Divisional Railway Manager Milind Deouskar in a press conference. "We have given Rs 1 lakh to those who are grievously injured while people with simple injuries have been given Rs 50,000," he added. He also said that all the medical expenses of the injured would be borne by the railways. He claimed that the contractor, who was given the job to dismantle the structure, had successfully removed four other hoarding metal frames. "It seems that he had not followed the procedure this time while removing the metal frame that came crashing down and claimed four lives and injured five others," he said. He added that a high level committee is investigating the incident and it is expected to submit its report in 15 days. Central Railway officials said that the railways, in January this year, had told the advertisement agency to stop putting up hoardings at the site after the latter failed to submit the structural audit report of the hoarding frames. "Though the present structures were strong and legal, as the agency did not furnish the structural report, we took a conscious decision to dismantle the hoardings and had started the work," he added. Manish Anand By Express News Service NEW DELHI: With the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) on Friday setting January 31 as the deadline for the Narendra Modi government to enact a law to construct a grand Ram temple at Ayodhya, the emotive issue was back on the frontburner. The deadline comes at a time when the title suit is still pending before the Supreme Court. If the deadline is not met, a Dharma Sansad of 20,000 religious leaders would decide on the next course of action at the Kumbh Mela in Allahabad, the VHP warned.This is the first-ever deadline set for the Modi government by any outfit in the saffron fraternity. The erstwhile Vajpayee government had been publicly pressured by the parivar on multiple occasions, but there has hardly been a ripple against Modi so far. The hardening of the VHP language happened after a day-long meeting here of 50 saints who lead the Ramjanmabhoomi movement. Saying they were disappointed with the delay in the Supreme Courts final verdict, the saints approved a four-pronged plan, including gheraoing MPs and meeting governors to pressure the Centre. VHP working president Alok Kumar demanded the enactment of a law in the winter session of Parliament. When the Representation of the People Act could be amended during the pendency of Indira Gandhis appeal in the SC against her election being set aside, why cant a law be brought in on Ayodhya, he argued. We had expected the Dipak Misra bench to deliver its verdict in September. But rivals put roadblocks to delay the hearing of the main title suit case, he claimed. A delegation of saints called on President Ram Nath Kovind earlier in the day and submitted a memorandum. The SC has set October 29 as the date for the next hearing in the case. The course it would take is not clear, so please ask your government to enact a law, the memorandum urged Kovind.The BJP at its Palampur meet in 1989 adopted a resolution to join the Ram movement. But now it is maintaining distance, saying the matter is sub-judice. By Online Desk It is going to be 'camelicious' Diwali for Amul as the Indian dairy cooperative is all set to launch deodorised camel milk in Ahmedabad. Following PM Narendra Modi's speech about benefits of camel milk during the inauguration of Amul's chocolate plant, the company announced that it will sell packed camel milk from December 2018 and the trial run for the same is to take place by November, around Diwali, the Indian Express reported. During PM Modi's recent visit to Gujarat, he claimed that when he was the CM of the state, people had mocked him for suggesting camel milk as nutritious. But, today, he is happy that Amul has fulfilled his dream by marketing camel milk chocolates, which are in great demand. The PM also said that camel milk fetches more money than cow 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: PM @narendramodi PMO India (@PMOIndia) September 30, 2018 To reduce camel milk's volatile odour, Amul said that it will be deodorised. Amul's new camel milk processing unit in Kutch is under construction and is expected to be operational by December this year. This is the first time packed camel milk will be sold in India. It will be available in 500 ml pet bottles. Officials said that a litre of camel milk will be sold at Rs. 50-55 in Gujarat -- double the price of cow milk. This is not the first time Amul has launched a camel milk project. Earlier in 2016, Amul had announced plans to launch camel milk in Ahmedabad, and later, in other cities. Camel milk, which is rich in vitamin, mineral and immunoglobin content, has various health benefits. Researchers say that it helps in boosting immunity and reduces the risk of diabetes. They even claim that it has cancer-preventing properties. So, who's up for some camel milk this Diwali season? By Express News Service BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh Human Rights Commission (MPHRC) on Saturday took cognizance of Fridays alleged assault on toll both staff by BJP MP Nandkumar Singh Chauhan and aides in Shivpuri district. The Commission directed the Shivpuri district police superintendent to submit before it within three weeks, the report detailing about the investigations and action in the matter. The SP Shivpuri district has also been directed by the state human rights panel to conserve the CCTV footage of the alleged incident and submit along with the report, the video recordings of the incident in CD format. However, when contacted in the matter by The New Indian Express on Saturday, the Shivpuri district superintendent of police Rajesh Hingankar said the police was yet to receive the formal complaint from any of the toll plaza staff about the alleged episode. We cant act in the matter unless someone submits a complaint about it to the police. On Friday evening, the staff on the toll plaza near Purankhedi village in Kolaras area of Shivpuri district was allegedly beaten up by Nandkumar Singh Chauhan (Lok Sabha member from Khandwa seat and ex-state BJP president) and aides, after the toll plaza staff demanded from the BJP MP his ID proof. The video of the incident had gone viral over the social media. Importantly, MPs and MLAs are exempted from paying a toll on national highways. On Friday after the incident happened and was captured in the CCTV cameras installed at the toll booth on the Shivpuri-Guna highway, the toll booth manager Mahendra Singh alleged that the MP and aides beat up the staff members, after the staff demanded the MPs ID card. The toll manager said two staff members were hurt in the attack, one of them sustained head injury and was hospitalized. In his interview granted to Vietnam News Agency on the threshold of Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phucs visit to Japan and his participation of the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit Meeting in Japan from October 8-10, Ambassador Cuong highlighted Vietnams positive contributions to the mechanism with various activities like the Green Mekong Forum, and cooperative programmes in environment, clean water, disaster prevention, among others. Vietnam is drawing up a plan for the cooperative activities in 2019-2021 period, he said. Vietnamese Ambassador to Japan Nguyen Quoc Cuong (Photo: VNA) Bolstering the mechanism development is in line with the benefits of both Vietnam and the whole region. Vietnamese ministries and sectors have involved in some 100 projects carried out in the framework of the mechanism. Among them, Lach Huyen deep-water port, Noi Bai International Airports terminal 2, O Mon thermal power plant, and Nghi Son 2 thermal power plant are important projects to Vietnams infrastructure system. Thanks to the mechanism, Vietnam has already built and operated an electric customs clearance system and produced measles-rubella vaccine, he added. Besides, the country has put forth projects to connect the sub-Mekong region and integrate the Mekong water resources management into the cooperation mechanism. On the development of the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism, Ambassador Cuong said that it has attained significant achievements in the past 10 years across the prioritised sectors of soft and hard infrastructure cooperation, and sustainable development. Member countries have worked together to build comprehensive transport system that helps link the sub-Mekong region through connecting the East-West Economic Corridor to the South Economic Corridor. Also, their cooperation facilitates customs clearance and human resources training. Attaching much importance to the mechanism, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe committed USD7 billion for the Mekong-Japan cooperation mechanism under the Tokyo Strategy 2015 for the 2016-2018 tenure. On bilateral activities of PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc, Ambassador Cuong said that the leader will have bilateral meetings with Japanese high-ranking officials to develop the Vietnam-Japan extensive strategic partnership into a more effective and practical manner. PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc and his Japanese counterpart are scheduled to hold talks on bilateral and international cooperation. Besides, the Vietnamese Government leader will have several meetings with Japanese officials to further all-round collaboration. An investment forum will be held in the East Asian country, with 1,000 representatives of businesses expected to attend. The event shows Vietnams respect for the extensive strategic partnership with Japan, particularly in economy, trade and investment./. Dr Sumanth C Raman By The worlds largest health insurance scheme is here, say the ads. Healthcare in India is going to be transformed, we are informed. See how the PM is helping the poor access affordable healthcare, exult his supporters. But is Ayushman Bharat worth the hype? There are two types of government schemes. The majority of them are well thought through but poorly implemented; so the benefits do not reach the intended beneficiaries fully. But there are a few schemes that are daft even at the policy stage. They have little chance of working and if they actually worked well, would paradoxically be impossible to sustain. Ayushman Bharat falls squarely in the second category. What could possibly be wrong with a health insurance scheme that aims to provide free and universal healthcare to every Indian? Nothing, except that free universal healthcare should already be available. In most parts of India treatment in government hospitals is either free or a nominal fee is charged. But accessibility and the quality of care are different matters. Also, secondary and tertiary care are in scarce supply in many states. But on paper free healthcare exists. So we are creating a scheme partly to do what an existing scheme, meant to do the same, is not doing. Private sector infrastructure will be utilised for delivering the services, but some government hospitals will also chip in. The logic: government hospitals lack the infrastructure and as the governments aim is to ensure accessible and affordable healthcare, how should it matter who provides the care? It should. There can never ever be a substitute to strengthening public healthcare infrastructure in India and schemes like Ayushman Bharat and state health insurance schemes weaken the already critically ill public health space. There is a strong feeling among people that private healthcare is better than government healthcare and such schemes only reinforce that impression. What is the problem if the private sector provides the service for a fee? They have the infrastructure and poor patients will benefit anyway. The problem is there is no regulatory mechanism in place to monitor the quality of service provided, its ethical necessity and of course whether the patient was made to pay more than what the scheme covered. And the rates under the scheme are low; hospitals say they cannot support the scheme long-term without revision of rates. Who is to check if hospitals are not cutting corners and putting patients lives at risk? The most vulnerable people are being led by the government to the mercy of the private sector with very little regulation. The mind also boggles at the enormous scope for corruption that Ayushman Bharat and similar schemes can lead to. From the enrolment stage to approvals to payments, everything could have a price. The issue is also one of virtually killing off public sector hospitals. Unless you use the TN model of paying insurance money to government hospitals and doctors just to do the job they are already paid to do, who will now want to have a procedure or surgery done at a government facility? Alternately if we are to say that a set of 500 procedures will be done only at government facilities, then would that not take out a large chunk of patients from the insurance scheme? Let us now look at budget allocations. Even to a non-economist, it is clear that the around Rs 3,200 crore allocated for the scheme this year will not even be enough to cover a small subset of the 10 crore families enrolled. If we assume that just 5 per cent of those enrolled claimed 20 per cent of their eligible Rs 5 lakh, the scheme will need Rs 50,000 crore. What would Rs 3,200 crore be able to accomplish? And we have not taken into account the running cost. Next look at the so-called wellness centres to be opened under this scheme. How are they different from primary health centres? If they are just upgraded PHCs then that could be accomplished without the scheme. The interplay between state health insurance schemes and Ayushman Bharat will also be keenly watched. States may try to reduce their financial burden by pushing their patients through this scheme. The IT backbone needed for such a scheme is humungous and it is doubtful if the government has thought through the complexities, especially of data privacy and security. We are seeing the mess unfolding in Aadhaar and this could be an even bigger disaster with confidential health information accessed without authorisation. Finally, what if the scheme becomes successful with all the beneficiaries becoming aware of it? Simple: There would be no money to run it and it would collapse. Example: If the claim rate was even, say 15 per cent at an average of 10 per cent of the maximum limit, thats Rs 75,000 crore needed each year. The claim rates are likely to be much higher as no one is excluded here unlike in private insurance where many who actually need the care are ineligible to be covered due to various exclusions including old age, pre-existing illness, etc. So why the need to go ahead with such a scheme? Because, these schemes are seen to be vote catchers. In Andhra Pradesh, Y S Rajasekhara Reddy built a huge reputation for himself through Arogyasri, the pioneer among state health insurance schemes. There will no doubt be people who benefit and the photo ops help create a strong populist message. Such schemes also cater to the aspirations of the poor, who can receive healthcare at private hospitals they couldnt earlier afford to go to. The criticism of Ayushman Bharat isnt to say that people wont benefit from it. Many of course will, but this is certainly not enough to justify its costs and the damage it will do in the long-term to public health infrastructure. The government will realise its folly at some stage but for now its election time. And states havent realised their folly in years. There is never going to be a substitute to strengthening public health institutions. Technology can greatly help improve the quality of care that public hospitals can provide. That should be the way to go. And that is where the money must be spent. Dr Sumanth C Raman TV anchor and political analyst Email: sumanthcraman@gmail.com By Express News Service TIRUPATI: In a tragic incident, a retired judge committed suicide by lying down on a railway track seconds before a Howrah-bound express train hurtled over him here on Friday morning. After hearing the news of her husbands death, his wife too committed suicide in a similar manner at the same spot in the evening. According to Tiruchanur police, P Sudhakar (62), retired as a judge in Mahabubnagar, three years ago. He also worked as a district judge in Tirupati between 2006 and 2008. Though the police found a suicide note at the spot, they refused to divulge details and told the media that he took the extreme step due to health reasons. When the police informed the death of her husband to P Varalakshmi (58) in the evening, she was heartbroken and rushed to the railway track, where her husband committed suicide, and ended her life in a similar manner. At that time Rayalaseema Express was passing on the track. The distraught wife of Sudhakar resorted to the extreme step, when her brother-in-law went to the hospital to collect her husbands body. By Express News Service BENGALURU: Bypolls to three Lok Sabha seats, to be held on November 3, promise to be a preview of the larger and more hotly contested Lok Sabha elections a few months from now in 2019. The polls will be a trial run for the JD(S)-Congress coalition to test the waters and will also be an opportunity for the BJP to judge if it can take on the combined might of both the parties. The election will also give an insight into the voters mood in the state. Of the three LS seats, Shivamogga and Ballari were held by BJP while Mandya was with the JD(S). Bypolls were necessitated after B S Yeddyurappa and B Sriramulu of BJP, and C S Puttaraju of JD (S) resigned from their LS membership after they were elected to the state assembly in the recent elections. Puttaraju is a minister in the H D Kumaraswamy government. Though the newly elected LS members will have a very short tenure and will hardly get an opportunity to attend two sessions of Parliament, the byelections are likely to witness a fierce fight as the results will be an indicator of things to come in the 2019 elections.The Congress and the JD(S) that have decided to go together in next years elections will have to work out a seat-sharing arrangement. While there wont be any contention over the Mandya seat as that was represented by JD (S), the regional party may not stake claim for Ballari seat as the Congress has considerable base in the district. However, Shivamogga is likely to be an issue. Sources said that the JD (S) had shown a keen interest to field its candidate here, while the Congress will be in no mood give up its claim. In 2013, Yeddyurappa had won with a huge margin of 3.62 lakh votes and this time around JD(S)-Congress together hope to give a fight. The BJP, faced with the tough task of retaining its seats, started the campaign within hours after the poll dates were announced. In Shivamogga, Yeddyurappa announced the candidature of his son B Y Raghavendra and sought support from voters in the district.For Congress, the byelections will be crucial as it would be a big morale booster as it has not done so well in the assembly polls. We are confident of retaining the seats and doing well in other constituencies too, said BJP General Secretary and MLC Ravi Kumar. We are confident of retaining the seats and doing well in other constituencies too, said BJP General Secretary and MLC Ravi Kumar. The party candidates and strategy will be discussed during a meeting on Monday, he added. The party will finalise the names of candidates for Mandya and Ballari LS seats and Ramanagaram and Jamkhandi assembly constituencies. For Congress, the byelections will be crucial as it would be a big morale booster as it has not done so well in the assembly polls. Good results will set a tempo for its strategy to defeat BJP in next years election. These elections will also put state Congress chief Dinesh Gundu Raos leadership to test and his ability to ensure that the faction-ridden party works as one unit, while also accommodating a very demanding coalition partner JD(S). We will have a strategy to defeat BJP, Dinesh said after the bypoll dates were announced. He said they are yet to discuss and finalise party candidates and also seat-sharing arrangement with the JD (S). According to him, the byelection results wont be an indicator of general elections. We take all elections seriously and candidates will be finalised after discussing with the party high command, said former CM Siddaramaiah. JD (S) supremo H D Deve Gowda said there is no confusion among the coalition partners. In the assembly bypolls, the JD (S) is likely to field CMs wife Anita Kumaraswamy from Ramanagaram, while the Congress is yet to decide on its candidate from Jamkhandi assembly segment. Ramanagaram was represented by Kumaraswamy and Jamkhandi by Siddu Nyamagouda of Congress. Bypolls were necessitated as Kumaraswamy, who won from two seats, vacated Ramanagara and retained Channapanta. Nyamagouda died in an accident. POLL POSITION Ramanagara and Jamkhandi (assembly segments) Ballari, Shivamogga and Mandya (LS seats) Date of poll November 3 (Saturday) Date of counting November 6 BSY son to fight from Shivamogga Former chief minister and State BJP president B S Yeddyurappa said in Shikaripura on Saturday that his son B Y Raghavendra will contest from Shivamogga in the byelections. Poll break for cabinet expansion With the EC announcing dates for bypolls to 3 LS and 2 assembly seats in the state, plans for ministry expansion have yet again fizzled out. The Congress had assured the aspirants of completing the process by Oct 10. By Express News Service KOCHI: As the India Met Department (IMD) has issued a cyclone warning due to the formation of a low-pressure area over the southeast Arabian Sea, the fisherfolks in Kochi cited that fishermen of around 150 boats which ventured into the sea from here have been stranded in the sea 500 nautical miles off Lakshadweep coast. According to the fishermen, the Union Government should initiate immediate steps to bring back the fishermen to shore, though the authorities now citing that there are no possibilities for a cyclone. Earlier, fishermen have been advised not to venture into the southeast and the central Arabian Sea from October 4 and deep-sea fishers who had gone out to sea have been directed to return to the coast. Following this, about 500 boats returned to the coasts. Of this few returned to the nearby coasts in the country while a few reached safely in Kochi. According to Kerala Matsythozhilali Aikyavedi president Charles George, the fishing boats which anchored near Lakshadweep coast were in the dangerous situation. "They could not return back to Lakshadweep as it is the center of the cyclone as per predictions. As per the information available, the gill net and longlines fishers are 500 nautical miles north-west of the coast. It would take more than a day to reach Lakshadweep. The Union Government should take immediate steps to bring them to nearby coasts safely. It is learned that they are nearby Oman or Iran," Charles George added. The issue came to light after a boat which involved in the same area reached Kochi on Friday. "We have communicated the matter to Coast Guard. The Coast Guard should deploy naval flight for the rescue of the fishermen. The matter was also informed to Fisheries Minister Mercykutty Amma", Charles George said. Earlier, during Ockhi the authorities could not recover 17 fishing boats which sunk in the sea. The bodies of 82 persons who went missing during Ockhi are yet to be recovered. This has raised the concern in the wake of the alert, said, fishermen. By Express News Service THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: With protests mounting from various corners over the Supreme Court verdict allowing women of all ages to enter Sabarimala, the CPM has taken a middle path. In what could be termed as its first major response after the verdict, the CPM state secretariat made clear the party wants to ensure equal rights for women also. However, its not for the CPM to take women to the hill shrine. Those who are disappointed with the SC order have the right to approach the apex court again. But using this situation to create tension and make political gains against the Left Government cannot be allowed, it stated. In a statement, the CPM state secretariat said the party has a clear opinion in ensuring equal rights for women. The party has taken this stance in issues related to Christian Succession law and polygamy issue in the Muslim community. The LDF Government, in its affidavit before the SC, had demanded women believers should be given equal rights. However, based on the CPMs stance, the government has not brought in any legislation or rule amendment. Now, with the apex court issuing its final verdict, its the duty of the state government to implement the same. The CPM said as per the verdict, women believers can go to Sabarimala temple. However, it is not for the CPM to take women to the hill shrine. Its a decision to be taken by the devotees. The BJP and Congress, through their propaganda, have been trying to create a negative impression about the CPM on the issue, it stated. The party also said in the wake of the SC verdict, the state government should ensure the rights of women devotees to go for darshan at the temple. The party leadership alleged the Congress-BJP combine has been trying to create communal polarisation for narrow political interest. A section in both parties have come out rejecting the stance taken by their central leaderships. It reminded modern Kerala is the result of relentless fights for renaissance against superstitions and negative rituals. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: Anticipating an escalation in Maoist violence as elections draw close, police chiefs of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh met here on Friday to chalk out a plan of action to intensify operations in the bordering areas of the two States which continue to be Naxal hot-bed. Close on the heels of the cold-blooded murder of Araku MLA Kidari Sarveswara Rao and former legislator Siveri Soma at Dumbriguda Mandal in Visakhapatnam on September 23, the meeting between Odisha DGP Dr RP Sharma and his Andhra counterpart RP Thakur assumes significance. Since the movement of political leaders will increase with the polls getting closer, the meeting discussed strategies for increased operational activities. However, it would require creation of more road network on both sides of the border and the two DGPs discussed how infrastructure can be given a push in the coming days.In the recent months, there have been developments in bordering regions, including the incident in Visakhapatnam, following which issues like enhancing coordination, cooperation and sharing of intelligence between the police forces of the two states were discussed, Dr Sharma said declining to divulge the details. Sources said the meeting also discussed plans to go after top Maoist leaders including Rama Krishna who continues to be elusive. Actionable intelligence from both the State Police forces would be used to zero in on RK who leads the Andhra Odisha Special Border Zonal Committee. Joint operations in the bordering areas will soon be launched in this connection, the sources added. Andhra Pradesh DGP Thakur said the coordination meeting was fruitful adding, police forces of both the states get a lot of information which must be converted into actionable intelligence. We had excellent coordination earlier also and joint operations are still going on. However, we wanted to have more systematic approach for future and in that direction first meeting at the DGP level was held. Every month, coordination meeting at the ground level will also be held, Thakur said. Thakur said priority areas would be discussed with respective State Governments as well as the Centre. If need be, demand for deployment of more forces would be placed before the Centre. Top police officers of both the States also participated in the meeting. Rebels issue death warrant to four in Mathili MALKANGIRI: A Maoist banner issuing death warrants to four persons alleging loot of their money surfaced in Baladiaguda village under Mathili police limits in the district on Friday. The banner, written in Odia by the Maoists, was spotted by some villagers on a tree in the morning. The Maoists named Adu Golari, Ramnath Nayak (teacher), Sunadhar Bhumian and Desu in the banner stating that the four have looted the money of their outfit and announced death sentence for them. Meanwhile, police reached the spot and seized the Maoist banner. By Express News Service BALASORE: The Congress on Friday assured the farmers to waive off their loans and increase their old-age pension from Rs 300 to Rs 1,000 if the party comes to power in Odisha. Speaking at Jana Jagaran Yatra at Rupsa in Balasore district, Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee (OPCC) president Niranjan Patnaik said at a time when the prices of even the basic utility items are skyrocketing, how would `300 suffice for a poor old man. On unemployment, Niranjan said at least 36 lakh educated youths have registered for jobs but Naveen Patnaik Government has failed to do justice to them. In the 18-year BJD rule, no employment scope has been generated for the youth, he said. The Government has failed to provide jobs to 60 lakh youths in the State, who have gone to other States looking for jobs, the OPCC chief added. Addressing the gathering, Niranjan said crores of rupees which has come from the Centre has been misappropriated by the State Government in the name of Vikaas. Where is Vikaas, the fund is just used for media advertisement, he said and came down on Naveen, saying, he is a postman who uses the Central fund by converting it into schemes in his fathers name and other persons name to win peoples vote. Public should realise this and think before voting in the next elections. He lamented the fact that at at least 40 per cent people are poor in the State and due to lack of financial support from the Government, farmers are forced to commit suicide.If the Congress comes to power in Odisha, we assure to give incentives to farmers for five years. The Government, which promised to provide Rs 600 crore for farmers as insurance, has not reached out to them, he added. For the people of Bhograi where 3.5 lakh people earn their livelihood from betel cultivation, no support has been provided by the Government. The production of Pana (betel), Mina (fish) and Dhana (paddy) has slumped due to Government apathy, Niranjan said. On BJP-BJD friendship, he remarked that BJD rebukes BJP in the State but in Delhi, the two parties are close. The BJD has no contribution in setting up the Government Medical College at Balasore. It was only made possible by the UPA government, he added. Among others, former MP Srikant Jena, MLA Chiranjib Biswal, District Congress president Saraj Raj, Bhakta Charan Das and Rudra Sahu attended. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: A 57-year-old man from Cuttack tested positive for H1N1 at a city hospital on Friday. He is the second confirmed swine flu case in the State this season. The man was admitted to Kanungo Institute of Diabetes Specialities (KIDS) with symptoms of respiratory infection and breathlessness on Wednesday. He was found to have developed pneumonia and shifted to the ICU. On suspicion, doctors sent his swab samples to the Regional Medical Research Centre laboratory here which confirmed H1N1. He has been shifted to the Special H1N1 unit of the SCB Medical College and Hospital, Cuttack for treatment. The patient had visited Jammu and Kashmir recently and returned home with sickness. As his condition with fever, cough and respiratory problems aggravated, he was admitted to KIDS. The patient has been referred to SCBMCH which has a specialised set-up for treatment of H1N1, KIDS chairman Dr Alok Kanungo said. By Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The annual tourist footfall to Odisha is growing at a rate of about nine per cent per against the global average of four per cent, said Chief Minister Patnaik on Friday. Addressing international tour operators, travel agents and hoteliers at the second edition of Odisha Travel Bazaar jointly organised by Odisha Tourism and Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) here, Naveen said the increasing trend of tourist arrival is a positive sign for the State and its tourism sector. The strength of Odisha lies in its rich cultural heritage and the new Ethnic, Buddhist and Ecotourism products have helped attract a lot of tourists to the State. Odisha is lavishly gifted and endowed with a plethora of natural sites which spellbound tourists visiting the State, he said. The Chief Minister expressed hope that the Air Asia link to Malaysia will connect more international air operators to Bhubaneswar. Moreover, the opening of an airport at Jharsuguda will provide connectivity to the western parts of Odisha which in turn will boost tourism in the region. Naveen welcomed all the 60 foreign tour operators from 23 countries and 16 tour operators from within India who are in the City to attend the three-day as buyers. Tourism Minister Ashok Chandra Panda said more such events will be organised in future and infrastructure developed for promotion of high-end tourism in the State. In the last few years, over Rs 400 crore have been spent for development of tourism sector, Panda said. Tourism Secretary Vishal Kumar Dev said, Odisha has one of the finest tourism policy of the country which is in place since 2016. We are working to rope in more hotels to provide comfortable stay to the variety of tourists visitng the State. The foreign tour operators participating in the event are from Australia, Austria, Bulgaria, China, Finland, France, Germany, Hungary, Indonesia, Italy, Malaysia, Philippines, Poland, Romania, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Thailand, Netherlands, UK and USA. A total of 57 hoteliers, tour operators and travel agents from Odisha are also taking part to sell their tourism products and packages to buyers. Lameness prevention: it's all in the head An understanding of how cows think, how they see the world and how they move is essential for lameness prevention. 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 Express News Service BHUBANESWAR: The men in khaki may have gone after those involved in the unprecedented violence in Puri but that is clearly damage control mechanism. What about their own ineptitude? The District Police ignored all the signs of an amplified reaction despite the fact that on October 1, barricades inside the 12th-century shrines were damaged as a protest against the queue system. Effigies were also burnt. But it was not heeded to. So much so that it assumed the much-publicised bandh to be a peaceful one and did not even requisition deployment of the Odisha Swift Action Force which was in Bhubaneswar till Wednesday morning. The law and order problem started around 9 am but there was no request for movement of the rapid action force. It was only at 11 am that the swift action force was proposed to be mobilised to Puri by the State Police Headquarters. By that time, it had moved back to Cuttack. When it finally reached Puri, the damage was done. Such was the lethargy of the District Police that it did not bother to carry out preventive arrests at all. And when it made a move at the end, it picked up only one person which led to further anger among the agitators. Interestingly, Puri District Police had at its disposal 11 platoons of Odisha State Armed Police and three units of APR force. Still, no attempt was made to secure Grand Road which encouraged the uncontrolled mob to unleash mayhem in the busiest and most thronged area of the town. Temple office was attacked, hundi looted, tourists were stranded and pilgrims hassled by the law and order failure even as Puri Police watched as a mute spectator and the holy town grabbed the headlines for yet another wrong reason while the State Government cut a sorry figure. Top cops of Odisha, AP meet on Maoist ops Bhubaneswar Anticipating an escalation in Maoist violence as elections draw close, police chiefs of Odisha and Andhra Pradesh met here on Friday to chalk out a plan of action to intensify operations in the bordering areas of the two States which continue to be Naxal hotbed. By Express News Service CHENNAI: Governor Banwarilal Purohit alleged on Saturday that crores of rupees had been exchanged for Vice Chancellor appointments before he took over as ex officio chancellor of State universities. Speaking at a higher education meeting here, he said, "I couldn't believe it." Governor Purohit claimed that news about corruption influenced his decision to change the way V-Cs are appointed. He claimed that all the nine Vice-Chancellors he appointed had been picked based on their merit. However, the Governor's appointment of candidates from other States as V-Cs of key State universities had come under criticism and evoked protests. The Governor's allegations has opened a Pandora's box with questions being raised as to whether former Governors were also in on corruption. These allegations also put the State Government in a tight spot. State Higher Education minister K P Anbazhagan was quick to distance the State government from these allegations. "Appointments of vice chancellors is done by the Governor. The State Government has no role in it," he told presspersons. Fisheries minister D Jayakumar, promised action. "If the Governor discloses the names of the V-Cs who have paid money for their posts, the government will take action," he said. Meanwhile, in a statement here, DMK president MK Stalin said: "Since the governor himself had revealed the irregularities in the appointment of vice chancellors, at least now he should take action against those responsible for this." He also urged the governor to act on the petitions given by the DMK already on the corrupt deeds of the ministers. Sadaf Aman By Express News Service HYDERABAD: In a goof up by different government agencies, the dates of two major competitive examinations are clashing, giving sleepless nights to the aspirants who are worried that they will lose good opportunities if they have to choose one exam over the other. Telangana State Junior Panchayat Secretary Exam and RRB Group D exam are both scheduled to be held on October 10. Panchayat secretary exam was initially going to be held on October 4 but was later rescheduled by TSPSC. However, both dates, initial and the rescheduled one, are clashing with the Railway Group D exam. The Railway Group D recruitment is being conducted for 62,907 vacancies in various level 1 posts. There are 9,000 posts to be filled through the Panchayat secretary exam. It may be recalled that the government received 1.9 crore applications of the Group D recruitment, with a sizeable number for Telangana too. Even though the exam is being conducted from October 1-31, a number aspirants who are giving both Group D and Panchayat Secretary exam will be affected as they will have to choose one of the two. Aspirants have been staging protests for several weeks now demanding TSPSC to reschedule the exam again. On Thursday, O Krishna, a PhD scholar from Political Science Department, Osmania University, attempted suicide inside the Art College Building demanding action by the State. A protest will be conducted on Saturday at OU from Arts College to NCC Gate by the Unemployed JAC in this regard. By Express News Service HYDERABAD: TPCC chief N Uttam Kumar Reddy on Friday said that TRS supremo K Chandrasekhar Raos hunger strike in 2009 was a fake one and a broker like KCR did not have the right to criticise him. KCR did a fake deeksha in 2009, not a hunger strike. He was given IV fluids, water and medication under doctors supervision at NIMS. The only thing he did there was to grow his beard. Irom Sharmila in Meghalaya has survived for 12 years under similar conditions, said Uttam Reddy, showing to media persons a medical report from NIMS about the details of the treatment. Pointing out KCRs personal attacks, Uttam reiterated, KCR was a fake passport broker while I was serving the nation as a fighter pilot. He was even arrested by Delhi police for duping people in the name of fake passports and visas. Our partys senior leader M Satyanarayana Rao saved KCR from those cases. Meanwhile, TPCC treasurer Gudur Narayan Reddy alleged that KCR was falsely blaming Congress in the case of Bathukamma sarees distribution. As there are KCRs pictures on the sarees and model code of conduct is in place, we only requested the Election Commission to ensure that KCRs pictures are removed and sarees be distributed through fair price shops. But EC has asked State government to stop the distribution altogether, said Reddy. CPI miffed with its big brother Congress HYDERABAD: CPI, a key member in the grand alliance proposed by Congress, is miffed with its big brother. Congress delay in finalising the seat sharing is not going down well with the Left party. CPI is seeking about 12 seats. We have even given the list of constituencies to Congress and other allies. But there has been no decision till now. Unless seat sharing and allocation is finalised, we cannot get begin campaigning properly. Look at TRS, it has already announced candidates and KCR is zooming ahead in the campaign, said CPI Telangana secretary Chada Venkat Reddy, speaking to Express. By PTI WASHINGTON: Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the US Supreme Court appeared all but assured after two key lawmakers who had wavered on his controversial nomination signaled their support. Senate Republican Susan Collins Friday affirmed in a closely-watched floor speech that she will vote for the conservative jurist nominated by President Donald Trump, and moments later Democrat Joe Manchin broke ranks to announce his own backing. Their declarations of brought the number of senators publicly supporting the 53-year-old judge -- who has faced accusations of sexual assault -- to 51 in the 100-member chamber. A final confirmation vote is expected Saturday afternoon. Kavanaugh's nomination was left teetering on the edge after university psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford claimed in harrowing testimony last week that he tried to rape her when they were high school students. ALSO READ | 'I am independent, impartial': US Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh But Collins, a moderate, pro-choice lawmaker from Maine, said Kavanaugh was entitled to the "presumption of innocence" as the allegations against him lacked corroborating evidence. While Collins acknowledged that Blasey Ford's testimony was sincere, painful and compelling, and that the accuser is a sexual assault survivor, she added that "I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court. My full statement on my decision to support Judge Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to be an associate justice on the U.S. Supreme Court: https://t.co/FVDdlvYkWG Sen. Susan Collins (@SenatorCollins) 5 October 2018 " Immediately after the Collins speech Manchin announced his support, calling Kavanaugh a "qualified jurist" who "will not allow the partisan nature this process took to follow him onto the court." Manchin faces extraordinary political pressure. He is up for re-election in West Virginia, a state Trump won overwhelmingly in 2016. Earlier on Friday the Senate voted 51-49 to end debate on Kavanaugh's nomination, setting up a final showdown on Saturday. Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, is followed by members of the media as she walks to the Capitol before a vote to advance Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court, on Capitol Hill, Friday, Oct. 5, 2018 in Washington. (Photo | AP) The outcome had remained in doubt, however, after one Republican, Lisa Murkowski, defied her party and voted against moving ahead. Trump nevertheless cheered the result of the cloture vote. "Very proud of the US Senate for voting 'YES' to advance the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh!" the president said on Twitter. Very proud of the U.S. Senate for voting YES to advance the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh! Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 5 October 2018 After Collins's speech, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders took to Twitter to thank her "for standing by your convictions and doing the right thing." If he wins confirmation, Kavanaugh -- who has faced a bruising process that raised questions over his candor and partisan rhetoric, and his lifestyle as a young man -- will seal a conservative majority on the nine-seat high court for years to come. Trump took the brutal battle to a new stage earlier Friday when he dismissed female anti-Kavanaugh protesters who have cited their own experiences of sexual assault as "elevator screamers." The president claimed billionaire financier George Soros, a frequent target of conservatives, was behind their demonstrations. "The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals only looking to make Senators look bad. Don't fall for it!" he tweeted. The very rude elevator screamers are paid professionals only looking to make Senators look bad. Dont fall for it! Also, look at all of the professionally made identical signs. Paid for by Soros and others. These are not signs made in the basement from love! #Troublemakers Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) 5 October 2018 Collins appeared to fall in line with Trump's accusation that outside funding was being pumped into the process, as she slammed the "unprecedented amount of dark money opposing this nomination." The confirmation process has gripped Washington and the nation, aggravating already deep political divisions with just weeks to go before mid-term congressional elections. Among those closely watched is Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona, a frequent Trump critic who is not running for re-election and has expressed concern about Kavanaugh. On Friday he voted to advance the nominee, then told reporters that barring any dramatic changes, he will vote yes on Kavanaugh's confirmation. ALSO READ | US Senate leans towards confirming embattled Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh Another wrinkle for Saturday's vote: Republican Senator Steve Daines was to fly home Friday to Montana for his daughter's wedding, raising the prospect of Republicans losing a potentially vital yes vote. But Daines tweeted that he spoke with Kavanaugh and assured him: "I will be back to vote yes this weekend if needed." Protesters have spent days in Washington urging swing senators like Collins and Murkowski to vote no. On Thursday 302 people were arrested and charged with unlawfully demonstrating inside the Senate complex. Friday saw dozens of people crowd into Collins's office pleading with her staff to tell the senator to oppose Kavanaugh, to no avail. In this Thursday, Oct. 4, 2018 photo, hundreds march in a protest, organized by Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women, through downtown Seattle opposing the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the U.S. Supreme Court. (Photo | AP) Trump's reference to Soros, who has supported pro-democracy movements around the world and the US Democratic Party for years, appeared to aim at inciting more support and anger from the president's conservative Christian base. The Jewish billionaire is frequently described by arch-conservatives as a behind-the-scenes operator driving liberal and progressive movements -- criticisms that have prompted counter-accusations of anti-Semitism. But Democrats continued Friday to argue that there had been too little effort made to investigate the allegations against Kavanaugh. By AFP HONG KONG: China on Saturday warned foreign countries not to "interfere" over Hong Kong's decision to effectively blacklist a senior Financial Times journalist after the UK and other governments expressed alarm over eroding freedoms in the former British colony. ALSO READ | Protest in Hong Kong over China suppression Victor Mallet, the FT's Asia news editor and a British national, earned the ire of authorities for hosting a speech in August by Andy Chan, the leader of a tiny pro-independence political party. The FT said Friday that immigration authorities in Hong Kong had declined to renew Mallet's visa, prompting the UK to request an "urgent explanation" for a decision described as unprecedented by rights groups and media organisations. "The Central Government firmly supports the SAR (Hong Kong) Government in handling the related matters in accordance with law," a spokesperson at China's foreign ministry in Hong Kong said. "No foreign country has any right to interfere." In a strident speech at the city's Foreign Correspondents' Club (FCC), where Mallet serves as vice president, Chan attacked China as an empire trying to "annex" and "destroy" Hong Kong. ALSO READ | Hong Kong democracy group says members were detained in China China's foreign ministry had asked the club to pull the talk, but the FCC refused, arguing that all sides of a debate should be heard. Rival protesters picketed the lunchtime event and the city's former leader Leung Chun-ying called for the club to be evicted from its government-owned premises. "We have asked the Hong Kong government for an urgent explanation," the UK's Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement addressing the visa denial. "Hong Kong's high degree of autonomy and its press freedoms are central to its way of life, and must be fully respected." Semi-autonomous Hong Kong enjoys rights unseen on the mainland, including freedom of expression, which are protected in the city's Basic Law and the handover agreement between China and Britain. But the space for dissent is shrinking as Beijing flexes its muscles. Hong Kong authorities last week banned Chan's Hong Kong National Party, calling it a threat to national security. It was the first ban on a political party since the territory reverted to Chinese control in 1997. The US consulate said Mallet's visa denial was "especially disturbing". "It mirrors problems faced by international journalists in the Mainland and appears inconsistent with the principles enshrined in the Basic Law," US consulate general spokesman Harvey Sernovitz told AFP. Hong Kong's last British governor Chris Patten said the move was a "serious blow against free speech" as well as defying the promise of a high degree of autonomy made to the city when it was handed back to China by Britain in 1997. "The Hong Kong and Beijing authorities should think again and fast," Patten told AFP. A handful of demonstrators rallied outside Hong Kong's immigration department on Saturday morning to protest the decision. "No political red line. We support the free press," protesters chanted as they shredded a strip of red fabric to create a long ribbon. The slogan was in response to comments by Hong Kong's former leader Leung Chun-Ying - whose administration faced down major youth-led democracy protests in 2014 - that discussion of Hong Kong independence "is an absolute and clear red line". The decision to deny Mallet a new visa was welcomed by pro-Beijing media in the city, however. A commentary in the Ta Kung Pao newspaper said the veteran journalist had to "pay the price" for giving exposure to Hong Kong's fringe independence movement and said authorities may still act to evict the FCC from the premises it has occupied since 1982. By Associated Press PARIS: He left his home in Lyon, France, for a visit to his homeland, and then vanished putting the International Criminal Police Organization, best known as Interpol, at the center of its own missing persons case. Meng Hongwei, Interpol's president, boarded a plane and arrived in China, according to a French judicial official. But then, nothing. His wife, who put out a call on Friday, said she hasn't heard from her 64-year-old husband since the end of September, the official said. To make matters murkier, Meng is not just the head of Interpol: He's also a vice minister for public safety in China. Interpol, based in Lyon, would say only that reports that its president is missing is "a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China." In this July 4, 2017 file photo, Interpol President, Meng Hongwei, walks toward the stage to deliver his opening address at the Interpol World congress in Singapore. A French judicial official says Friday Oct.5, 2018 the president of Interpol has been reported missing after traveling to China. (Photo | AP) France launched its own investigation on Friday morning, according to the judicial official who wasn't authorized to speak publicly and asked for anonymity. Whether China was taking action was unknown. But the South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, hinted that Meng may have been the latest target of an ongoing campaign against corruption in China. The newspaper said that upon landing last week Meng was "taken away" for questioning by what it said were "discipline authorities." The term usually describes investigators in the ruling Communist Party who probe graft and political disloyalty. The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the party's secretive internal investigation agency, had no announcements on its website about Meng and could not be reached for comment. ALSO READ | France opens probe into Interpol president Meng Hongwei's disappearance Meng is the first from his country to serve as Interpol's president, a post that is largely symbolic but powerful in status and not without political weight. But because Interpol's secretary general is responsible for the day-to-day running of the police agency's operations, Meng's absence may have little operational effect. Far from being a Hollywood-style agency with agents toting weapons across the globe, Interpol is low-profile and discrete about its cases, unless it wants to talk. The organization links up police officials of its 192 member states, who can use Interpol to disseminate their search for a fugitive, or a missing person. Only at the behest of a country does the information go public via a "red notice," the closest thing to an international arrest warrant. "Yellow notices" are issued for missing persons. But Interpol walks a fine line between its noble mission facilitating international police cooperation and the politics and policies of some of its member countries. Meng's appointment as president in 2016 amid Chinese leader Xi Jinping's sweeping anti-corruption drive alarmed some human rights organizations, fearful it would embolden China to strike out at dissidents and refugees abroad. This Oct.16, 2007 file photo shows the entrance hall of Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, central France. A French judicial official says Friday Oct.5, 2018 the president of Interpol has been reported missing after traveling to China. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity for an ongoing investigation, said Meng Hongwei's wife reported him missing on Friday. (Photo | AP) Such actions would be contrary to Interpol's mission statement: "Action is taken within the limits of existing laws in different countries and in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights." It adds that "intervention or activities of a political, military, religious or racial character" are prohibited. Meng has a shiny curriculum vita, having held down various positions within China's security establishment, including as a vice minister of public security the national police force since 2004. In the meantime, he served as head and deputy head of branches of the coast guard, all while holding positions at Interpol. His term in Lyon runs until 2020. His duties in China would have put him in close proximity to former leaders, some who had fallen afoul of Xi's campaign. He likely dealt extensively with former security chief Zhou Yongkang, now serving a life sentence for corruption. Xi has placed a premium on getting officials and businesspeople accused of fraud and corruption to return from abroad, making Meng's position even more sensitive. The anti-corruption drive recently drew headlines after the disappearance three months ago of "X-Men" star Fan Bingbing, one of the country's best-known actresses. Her whereabouts remain unknown. But on Thursday, Chinese tax authorities spoke publicly about her disappearance public, ordering her and companies she represents to pay taxes and penalties totaling $130 million. Fan is being fined around $70 million personally for tax evasion. Still out of the public eye, she issued a statement apologizing for her actions. China, in the midst of a weeklong holiday, offered no comment on the disappearance of Meng. In France, there were only questions. The French are "obviously aware of the disappearance but know nothing more at this stage," said one diplomatic official, unauthorized to comment publicly on the matter and speaking only on condition of anonymity. By AFP ISTANBUL: A Saudi columnist remained missing on Friday as supporters rallied outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul calling for his "release" despite Riyadh's denials that he was being held there. Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, has not been seen since he went to the Saudi mission on Tuesday to receive an official document for his marriage. The Turkish-Arab Media Association (TAM) organised a rally in front of the consulate for Khashoggi, a former government adviser who has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen. He has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest. The crown prince told Bloomberg that the journalist was not inside the consulate and said he was ready to allow Turkish authorities to search the building. "We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises," he said, which is Saudi sovereign territory. He added, "we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do... We have nothing to hide," he said in the interview published on Friday. According to Khashoggi's fiancee, a Turkish woman called Hatice A., he went to the consulate and never re-emerged. Ankara and Riyadh have given contradictory versions of the circumstances of Khashoggi's disappearance, with Turkish officials saying they believed he was still inside the consultate. But Saudi Arabia claimed he had entered and then left the mission on Tuesday. "As journalists we are concerned by the fate of Jamal. We do not know if he is alive or not, and the statements by Saudi Arabia on the subject are far from satisfactory," Turan Kislakci, a friend of Khashoggi and TAM chief, said in a statement to supporters. As Kislakci spoke, supporters held up images of the journalist, with the words "Free Jamal Khashoggi". "We believe that Jamal Khashoggi is the consulate's 'host' and call for his immediate release, or to tell us where he is," Kislakci added. 'Petrifying signal' Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East research director, urged Riyadh to "immediately disclose the evidence supporting their claim" that he left the consulate, "otherwise their claims are utterly baseless". Yemeni activist and 2011 winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, Tawakkol Karman, hit out at the Saudi authorities and told AFP that she believed Khashoggi "was kidnapped in this gangster's den that is supposed to be a consulate". "What we want is Jamal Khashoggi's release. He entered the building of the consulate, he has to come out of there safe and sound. And the Turkish government must assume its role and deal with the case of Jamal Khashoggi because Turkish sovereignty has been violated," she added. Human Rights Watch called on Ankara to "deepen their investigation" into the journalist's whereabouts, saying his possible detention could "constitute an enforced disappearance" in a statement late Thursday. "If Saudi authorities surreptitiously detained Khashoggi it would be yet another escalation of Crown Prince Muhammad bin Salman's reign of repression against peaceful dissidents and critics," Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at HRW, said. Amnesty's Maalouf said the incident "sends a petrifying signal" to the kingdom's critics and dissidents. By AFP ANKARA: Turkey has opened a probe into the disappearance of a Saudi journalist who has not been seen since he went inside the Saudi mission in Istanbul four days ago, the state-run Anadolu news agency said Saturday. ALSO READ | Supporters of missing Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi rally for his 'release' Riyadh says Jamal Khashoggi, a contributor to the Washington Post, had left the consulate but Ankara says he is still inside. The news agency quoted Istanbul prosecutors as saying that an investigation had been launched on Tuesday and had been widened since. Khashoggi went to the consulate to receive an official document for his marriage. ALSO READ | Turkey summons Saudi ambassador over missing journalist A former government adviser who has been critical of some policies of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Riyadh's intervention in the war in Yemen, Khashoggi has lived in self-imposed exile in the United States since last year to avoid possible arrest. The Saudi crown prince has told Bloomberg that the journalist was not inside the consulate and said he was ready to allow Turkish authorities to search the building. "We are ready to welcome the Turkish government to go and search our premises," he said, which is Saudi sovereign territory. "We will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. We have nothing to hide," he said in the interview published on Friday. According to Khashoggi's fiancee, a Turkish woman identified only as Hatice A, he went to the consulate and never re-emerged. Ankara and Riyadh have given contradictory versions of the circumstances of Khashoggi's disappearance. By Associated Press WASHINGTON: The bitterly polarized U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday to join the Supreme Court, delivering an election-season triumph to President Donald Trump that could swing the court rightward for a generation after a battle that rubbed raw the country's cultural, gender and political divides. The near party-line vote was 50-48, capping a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted women three decades ago which he emphatically denied. Those claims magnified the clash from a routine Supreme Court struggle over judicial ideology into an angrier, more complex jumble of questions about victims' rights, the presumption of innocence and personal attacks on nominees. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., heads to the Senate floor for the confirmation vote of Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, on Capitol Hill, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Washington. (Photo | AP) Acrimonious to the end, the battle featured a climactic roll call that was interrupted several times by protesters in the Senate Gallery before Capitol Police removed them. The vote gave Trump his second appointee to the court, tilting it further to the right and pleasing conservative voters who might have revolted against GOP leaders had Kavanaugh's nomination flopped. Democrats hope that the roll call, exactly a month from elections in which House and Senate control are in play, will prompt infuriated women and liberals to stream to the polls to oust Republicans. In final remarks just before the voting, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said a vote for Kavanaugh was "a vote to end this brief, dark chapter in the Senate's history and turn the page toward a brighter tomorrow." Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York looked ahead to November, appealing to voters beyond the Senate chamber: "Change must come from where a change in America always begins: the ballot box." Rep. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, confronting a tough re-election race next month in a state that Trump won in 2016 by a landslide, was the sole Democrat to vote against Kavanaugh. Every voting Republican backed the 53-year-old conservative judge. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, the only Republican to oppose the nominee, voted "present," offsetting the absence of Kavanaugh supporter Steve Daines of Montana, who was attending his daughter's wedding. That rare procedural manoeuvre left Kavanaugh with the same two-vote margin he'd have had if Murkowski and Daines had both voted. It was the closest roll call to confirm a justice since 1881, when Stanley Matthews was approved by 24-23, according to Senate records. Murkowski said Friday that Kavanaugh was "a good man" but his "appearance of impropriety has become unavoidable." Republicans hold only a 51-49 Senate majority and therefore had little support to spare. Activists chant as they are arrested by Capitol Hill Police officers after occupying the steps on the East Front of the U.S. (Photo | AP) The outcome, telegraphed Friday when the final undeclared senators revealed their views, was devoid of the shocks that had come almost daily since Christine Blasey Ford said last month that an inebriated Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a 1982 high school get-together. Since then, the country watched agape at electric moments. These included the emergence of two other accusers; an unforgettable Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at which a composed Ford and a seething Kavanaugh told their diametrically opposed stories, and a truncated FBI investigation that the agency said showed no corroborating evidence and Democrats lambasted as a White House-shackled farce. All the while, crowds of demonstrators mostly Kavanaugh opponents ricocheted around the Capitol's grounds and hallways, raising tensions, chanting slogans, interrupting lawmakers' debates, confronting senators and often getting arrested. Trump weighed in Saturday morning on behalf of the man he nominated in July. "Big day for America!" he tweeted. President Donald Trump calls on a reporter as he speaks to the media on the South Lawn of the White House. Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018, in Washington, en route to Topeka, Kansas. Trump said he is looking forward to the Senate confirmation vote on Supreme Court Justice nominee Brett Kavanaugh. (Photo | AP) Democrats said Kavanaugh would push the court too far, including possible sympathetic rulings for Trump should the president encounter legal problems from the special counsel's investigations into Russian connections with his 2016 presidential campaign. And they said Kavanaugh's record and fuming testimony at a now-famous Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showed he lacked the fairness, temperament and even honesty to become a justice. But the fight was defined by the sexual assault accusations. And it was fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and Trump's unyielding support of his nominee and occasional mocking of Kavanaugh's accusers. About 100 anti-Kavanaugh protesters climbed the Capitol's East Steps as the vote approached, pumping fists and waving signs. U.S. Capitol Police began arresting some of them. Hundreds of other demonstrators watched from behind barricades. Protesters have roamed Capitol Hill corridors and grounds daily, chanting, "November is coming," ''Vote them out" and "We believe survivors." On Friday, at the moment that made clear Kavanaugh would prevail, Collins delivered a speech saying that Ford's Judiciary Committee telling of the alleged 1982 assault was "sincere, painful and compelling." But she also said the FBI had found no corroborating evidence from witnesses whose names Ford had provided. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., walks to the chamber for the final vote to confirm Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, at the Capitol in Washington, Saturday, Oct. 6, 2018. (Photo | AP) "We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy," said Collins, perhaps the chamber's most moderate Republican. Manchin used an emailed statement to announce his support for Kavanaugh moments after Collins finished talking. Manchin, the only Democrat supporting the nominee, faces a competitive re-election race next month in a state Trump carried in 2016 by 42 percentage points. Manchin expressed empathy for sexual assault victims. But he said that after factoring in the FBI report, "I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution." Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who has repeatedly battled with Trump and will retire in January, said he, too, planned to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Vice President Mike Pence planned to be available in case his tie-breaking vote was needed. In the procedural vote Friday that handed Republicans their crucial initial victory, senators voted 51-49 to limit debate, defeating Democratic efforts to scuttle the nomination with endless delays. When Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July, Democrats leapt to oppose him, saying that past statements and opinions showed he'd be a threat to the Roe v. Wade case that assured the right to abortion. They said he also seemed too ready to rule for Trump in a possible federal court case against the president. Yet Kavanaugh's path to confirmation seemed unfettered until Ford and two other women emerged with sexual misconduct allegations from the 1980s. Kavanaugh would replace the retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a swing vote on issues such as abortion, campaign finance and same-sex marriage. In his work Better Fewer, But Better published on March 2, 1923, Vladimir Ilyich Lenin raised the matter of combining a Party institution with a Government institution. He asked How can a Party institution be amalgamated with a Soviet institution? and Is not this flexible amalgamation of a Soviet institution with a Party institution a source of great strength in our politics? Lenin required serious research in order to reorganise the leadership institutions in a way that was fewer but better. He stated that only by thoroughly purging our government machine, by reducing it to the utmost everything that is not absolutely essential in it, shall we be certain of being able to keep going. The aforementioned guidelines by Lenin are significant to the science of leadership, management and organisation. In fact, in Russia and the former Soviet Union, the highest leaders of the Party also held the highest positions of the State. Lenin was the supreme leader of the Party and concurrently Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union from 1917 to 1924. During the 1924-1953 period, Joseph Stalin was the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union (CPSU) and concurrently Chairman of the Council of Ministers. During the years 1953 to 1991, the CPSU General Secretaries all held the posts of Chairman of the Council of Ministers or Chairman of the Supreme Soviet. After 1991, the countries that remained steadfast on the socialist path have all deployed an organisational model that combines the Party and State leadership positions. In China, the General Secretary of the Communist Party is also the Chairman of the Central Military Commission. In Cuba, the First Secretary of the Party Central Committee also serves as the President of the Council of State and President of the Council of Ministers. In Laos, the General Secretary is also the President and the Secretary of a province is also its Governor. In other countries, the leader of a ruling Party directly holds the state apparatus. The Secretary-General of the ruling Party in Singapore is naturally the countrys Prime Minister. The President of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party in Japan heads the countrys cabinet. The President of the Cambodian Peoples Party is concurrently the Prime Minister. Many countries in Europe and other regions of the world also share a similar organisational structure. The amalgamation of the ruling Party post with the State post is clearly common around the world, which both strengthens the position of the ruling Party and enhances the management responsibility of the State. In Vietnam, with the victory of the August Revolution (in 1945), the Democratic Republic of Vietnam was born. President Ho Chi Minh, the supreme leader of the Party and Chairman of the Party Central Committee from February 1951, was also President of the Democratic Republic of Vietnam until his passing on September 2, 1969. During the Doi Moi (renovation) period, the Party and State incessantly built the Party and the State and refined the political system. With the building of the socialist-oriented market, the law-governed socialist State of the people, by the people and for the people, and with increasingly deeper integration, the matter of combining the posts of General Secretary and President have been put forward several times but the necessary conditions were inadequate. Now the conditions on the role and responsibility of the ruling Party and the construction and operation of a law-governed socialist State are mature, and with the consensus within the Party, especially the Party Central Committee and the highest leaders of the Party and State, the combination of the top Party and State positions can be afforded. First, that the General Secretary is also the President will enhance the Partys leadership over the State and properly implements Article 4 of the 2013 Constitution. Since 1945, the Communist Party has been the ruling Party, leading the State. Such a leadership role has been affirmed in practice and is closely connected with the development and victory of the Vietnamese revolution and the development of the State. Article 4 of the Constitutions of 1980, 1992 and 2013 all affirm that the Communist Party of Vietnam is the force leading the State and society. The Partys leadership role is enshrined in the Constitution. One of the characteristics of the Vietnamese socialist model is building a law-governed socialist State led by the Communist Party. That leadership is a principle and has been continually solidified and strengthened in line with the Party platform and the Constitution promulgated by the State. The Party leads the State, decides on domestic and external issues, as well as the structural organisation of the State apparatus; inspects and supervises the States operations; leads the process in which the State realises the platform and guidelines of the Party, and mobilises and organises the people to take part in State building and management. Second, that the General Secretary is also the President will enhance the position of the State leader in exercising the duties and rights enshrined in the Constitution. The President is the head of State, representing the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in domestic and external affairs. Provisions in Articles 86 to 93 of the 2013 Constitution on the role, duty and rights of the President will be implemented better when the President is also the General Secretary, directly implementing the Partys leadership, and thoroughly grasping the platform, guidelines and viewpoints of the Party. The person who holds both the posts of General Secretary and President is required to have the necessary quality, qualifications, capacity and reputation in order to successfully assume the two roles of Party leadership and State power exercise. This affirms and increases the responsibility of the leader and requires the refinement of the organisational apparatus of the Party and State at all levels, as well as the political system that was outlined in the Resolution of the 12th Central Committees 6th Plenum and is currently being implemented. Third, attention should be paid to refining the mechanisms and methods to inspect, supervise and control power so as to guarantee the utmost efficiency of the leadership and management. Some have expressed concern regarding power control when one person holds the top positions of the Party and State. In most countries, there are regulations on and bodies in charge of controlling power in order to prevent the abuse of power. In Vietnam, the Resolution of the 12th Central Committees 4th Plenum also puts an emphasis on control of power. It must come from the platform, charter and regulations of the Party, including those on the responsibility to set examples of officials, Party members, especially Politburo members, the Secretariat and the Central Committee. Power is controlled by the Constitution and laws, inspection and supervisory bodies, all officials, Party members and the people. Control is also exercised within the state apparatus, the legislative, the executive and the judicial bodies. This will prevent the corruption of power. The most important aspect is that the entire Party, State apparatus, political system and people are able to choose a competent, virtuous, responsible and esteemed leader who is truly devoted to the country and people. Champaign, IL (61820) Today Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 26F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph.. Tonight Partly cloudy early followed by cloudy skies overnight. Low 26F. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. The mission held one minutes silence and offered incense in memory of the former Party leader. Ambassador Dang Dinh Quy, Head of the Permanent Delegation of Vietnam to the UN, recalled contributions of the leader during more than 70 years serving the CPV and the country. Many overseas Vietnamese, foreign ambassadors and representatives from delegations to the UN, international organisations in New York and local officials came to the missions headquarters to pay respect to the former Vietnamese Party chief. Officials and staff at Vietnams permanent mission to the UN hold one minute's silence in memory of the former Party leader. (Photo: VNA) Former General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee Do Muoi was born on February 2, 1917, in Dong My commune, Thanh Tri district, Hanoi. He passed away in Hanoi on October 1 at the age of 101 due to serious illness. He served as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee from June 1991 to December 1997, and was presented with an insignia of 80-year Party membership. Vietnam will hold a State funeral and two days of national mourning for him on October 6 and 7. Slay goddess Pokello Nare would really not ordinarily come across as the everyday person who would rent out portions of her heart for others. After all she has a whole lot of swaglicious self to love and pamper, in between her modelling, business, Instagram slay and everything glamorous in between. Never mind the glamorous parties that she always headlines with her trademark self. Yet when she raised eyebrows last weekend in a Chicken Hut jaunt, many speculated that the queen of slay was not here simply for the juicy thighs in the Portuguese eatery. After all she has juicy thighs of her own . . . back in her kitchen which she could whip up for herself! And as fate would have it, the usually reclusive socialite agreed to open up on the reason behind her much-hyped visit to Avondale. The truth is I have decided to team up with Chicken Hut in what they we are calling the Good Heart initiative which I feel is something that is very noble and needed in our society at the moment, she said. While many struggled to talk to Pokello, who is now media-wary, the Queen of Swag agreed to an interview with Saturday Herald Lifestyle and lay bare her latest initiative which is a whole different ball game. I was motivated to join the Good Heart initiative after the momentum of a fan I went on a date with and how much it trended on social media just to see how many people felt so impressed and happy. I said I want to be part of what Chicken Hut is launching and be part of it because the more people you put smiles on their faces, the happier you can be. As part of the Good Heart initiative we are going to be doing a lot of programmes, starting with disadvantaged girls, sex workers doing things like HIV testing, just a lot of day to day issues that affect young women and people from disadvantaged backgrounds. I am impressed with where Chicken Hut are trying to take the vision of their social corporate responsibility in terms of their branding. I am happy to partner with Chicken Hut and I am now part of the initiative, said the socialite. And while she was talking it was easily evident why she leaves a lot of people star-struck. Like a portrait painted by Picasso, which she stole and used as a face, the radiant Pokello is the stuff that dreams are made of. Ok, imagine a juicy chicken, dripping of the most succulent sauces. It is enough to leave your fingers dripping and your lips smeared in sauce. And yet she finished the whole thigh glamorously, eating like some super creature without once leaving her signature fascia pink lipstick disturbed in any way as she chewed like a heavenly apparition. Slaying is definitely hard work! And it is this brand that she hopes will push a people-centred, feel good project that will bring elation to a nation in need of such. With initiatives ranging from cancer, uplifting the esteem of the underprivileged in society, working with underprivileged girls and women from poor backgrounds to a wide array of causes that abound in the nation, Pokello hopes her appeal and eyeballs that follow her every move will now follow her as she makes a change in the nation for a good cause complete with her signature heels and all. Call it her attempt to heel the world. I was won over that an organisation would get out of its way to want to help the underprivileged people in Zimbabwe. Many other businesses are solely concentrating on making money and their core business. They spoke to a shared ideal between us and we immediately could see that we were perfect partners going forward, she said. And in a month like October in which causes like breast cancer awareness are at the top of peoples agenda, Chicken Hut and Pokello, whose colour of choice is interestingly pink the colour of breast cancer awareness could not have picked a better time to start their admirable crusade. This also cuts away from the everyday perception of Pokello as a mere socialite. Shes not just a pretty face it would seem. She is also a pretty heart. I am impressed. I also learnt that she is a mother and a philanthropist over and above what we knew of her. When I heard she was here in Avondale, I rushed to see a socialite and get pictures. As I go, I leave with respect for a woman who has so much virtue than we ever knew and I will definitely follow the initiative as it unfolds, said a star-struck fan at the unveiling of the Good Heart initiative. In a world where there is so much negativity we wanted to look for positivity. We wanted to bring smiles to Zimbabwe. Pokello is a brand in Zimbabwe, and when we dined with her, that is when she got to know of our initiative and we felt we had the same goals of healing our world and making people smile so we decided to partner in this. Zimbabwe will certainly be a happy place thanks to our efforts, said Navhraj S Chauhan, the companys Chief Operating Officer. October opens up the floodgates of love amongst many corporates, with Zimbabwes leading and largest media organisation, Zimpapers, also embarking on the now hugely popular Cancer Walk in support of breast cancer initiatives as well as other cancers in general. Taxi Explodes at Liverpool Hospital UPDATED advertisement Cats May Have a More 'Profound Mind' Than We Thought in case you missed it An Unexpected New COVID Concern: Deer in case you missed it Eternals Survives Plunge box office advertisement Americans Might Have to Spend Like Europeans opinion Michigan Teen Ran a Dazzling Race. Then He Shouted in case you missed it advertisement Teacher's Jokey Quiz Question Under Investigation IN CASE YOU MISSED IT advertisement As Mom Grabs for Toddler, Both Fall 100 Feet IN CASE YOU MISSED IT advertisement advertisement Family's Puppy Grows Up, Takes Surprising Turn IN CASE YOU MISSED IT (Newser) She was deemed the Democrats' "last big hope" to derail the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh as Supreme Court justice. But as it became clear Friday during Susan Collins' 45-minute-long speech on the Senate floor that Maine's GOP senator was going to greenlight Kavanaugh, money started flowing in to the two crowdfunding efforts set up to fund her 2020 opponent should she back the judgeefforts she has previously deemed an attempt to bribe her. By the time she wrapped up her words, USA Today reports, those two funds had more than $3 million stockpiled between them, with donations being posted every three seconds, the activist groups behind them said in a statement. One of the fundraising pages was apparently so overwhelmed with traffic, in fact, that it temporarily crashed, they added. Fast Company notes the Crowdpac site was back up within an hour. story continues below Meanwhile, CNN reports on a surprise development from Susan Rice, national security adviser under President Obama. After an ex-White House official wondered on Twitter, "Who wants to run for Senate in Maine?," Rice responded with a one-word tweet: "Me." It turns out Rice's mother was born in the Pine Tree State, and Rice still has a home there. Rice later softened her tweet, adding, "Many thanks for the [encouragement]. I'm not making any announcements. Like so many Americans, I am deeply disappointed in Senator Collins' vote for Kavanaugh. Maine and America deserve better." The Hill reports on another big name seemingly taking aim, but at Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, the lone Republican to say no on Kavanaugh. "Hey @LisaMurkowski - I can see 2022 from my house," Sarah Palin tweeted, leading to speculation she may be planning a primary challenge against Murkowski. (Read more Susan Collins stories.) (Newser) For Hayward Duresseau, a "terrifying" diagnosis ended in one of the happiest moments of his life. The 27-year-old had just visited San Francisco with boyfriend Kerry Kennedy in February when he grew exhausted, lost some vision, got a killer headache, and fell violently illwhich landed him in an emergency room in their hometown of Lafayette, Louisiana, reports NBC News. His eye problem soon developed into hearing loss and a new diagnosis: bacterial meningococcal meningitis, a possibly fatal infection that WebMD says inflames membranes covering the spinal cord and brain. An outbreak had just struck San Francisco, spreading by prolonged contact with a carrier via kissing or shared food or water, per Buzzfeed. story continues below "When he was first diagnosed, it was terrifying," Kennedy said. "I was really scared. I wasn't sure if he was ever going to leave the hospital." But Kennedy, 37, stayed by Duresseau's side for his three weeks in hospital and six months of recovery. Paralyzed from the hips down, Duresseau did regain mobility and sight but lost all hearingso the couple learned American Sign Language together, reports People. When a cochlear implant allowed him to hear again, the first thing he heard was Kennedy's marriage proposal: Down on one knee, Kennedy asked, "Will you marry me?" Amid tears and laughter, Duresseau said one word: "Yes." See the video on Kennedy's Facebook page, where he writes, "These have been some of the most challenging months of our lives, but we made it together." (Read more meningitis stories.) (Newser) "It's a lot of workmaybe they don't want to do it." So says Sen. Chuck Grassley on why the Senate Judiciary Committee that supported Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination had no female Republicans, per the Wall Street Journal. "My chief of staff of 33 years tells me we've tried to recruit women and we couldn't get the job done," adds Grassley, the committee's chair. But the 85-year-old Republican later walked back his remarks, saying the committee's workload made it less enticing to male and female senators alike: "We have a hard time getting men on the committee. It's just a lot of work whether you're a man or a woman, it doesnt matter." story continues below What exactly makes it so hard to get senators on board? "Well, I love it. I've been on it 38 years," the senator responded. "On average, any woman in the United States Senate, whether theyre on Judiciary or any other committee, probably works harder than the average man." Continuing his apparent change of heart, Grassley said the Supreme Court should have more women: "Probably five would be about right." All Republicans on the committee are male, while the Democrats have ranking member Sen. Dianne Feinstein and three other women, per the Huffington Post . In fact Republicans haven't had a single female member since the committee was established in 1816, Vox notes. (Read more Senate Judiciary Committee stories.) 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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 In a letter sent to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro said he was saddened when learning about the death of the former Party chief. As a close friend of Cuba, comrade Do Muoi had contributed to consolidating the fraternity between the two countries, he said. Raul Castro extended the deepest sympathy to Party General Secretary Trong and former Party General Secretary Do Muois family. President of Cubas Council of State and Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz Canel also cabled condolence messages to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh. The government and people of Cuba always keep in mind comrade Do Muois contributions to the development of the long-standing friendship and fraternity between the two countries, he said. Myanmars State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi expressed her sympathy to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc while President Win Myint extended condolences to Acting President Thinh. They highly valued former Party General Secretary Do Muois outstanding leadership and great contributions to advancing political, economic and social position of Vietnam in regional and international arena. Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai sent messages of sympathy to PM Phuc and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. The Thai leaders praised the Vietnamese former Party chiefs great contributions to Vietnams Doi Moi (Reform) process, and laying a firm foundation for the strategic partnership between the two countries. Other condolence messages came from Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, and President of Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance and Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Toshihiro Nikai to PM Phuc and President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians Group and head of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh. Deputy PM and FM Minh also got a message from Japanese Foreign Minister Kono Taro. In their letters, the Japanese leaders praised former General Secretary Do Muoi as a talented leader who significantly contributed to national development and paid due attention to promoting the Vietnam-Japan relationship. In a message to Party General Secretary Trong, President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in hailed former Party General Secretary Do Muoi for his great contributions to the relations between Vietnam and the RoK, especially the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties. Saudi Arabia has agreed in principle to invest in a new oil refinery in Pakistans Chinese-funded deep-water port of Gwadar, the South Asian nations petroleum minister said yesterday. State-owned Pakistan State Oil will partner with Saudi state oil giant Aramco on the project, Petroleum Minister Ghulam Sarwar Khan told reporters. Details of the refinerys costs and capacity are to be worked out later, once a formal memorandum of understanding that was approved by Pakistans cabinet on Thursday is finalised, he added. Gwadar, in the southwestern province of Baluchistan, is the crown jewel of Chinas more than $60 billion in Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) projects in Pakistan. Last month, Pakistan invited Saudi Arabia to invest in projects related to BRIs China Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), though the government clarified this week that China was still the only true partner. Petroleum Minister Khan said a visiting Saudi delegation visited Gwadar on Tuesday. They showed an interest to immediately invest in the refinery, Khan said. We sat down and held initial discussions with them and it was principally decided by both sides that it will be a government-to-government agreement. The offer came after new Prime Minister Imran Khan made Riyadh his first foreign visit since taking office. The Finance Ministry is considering not applying a reduced tax rate to food and nonalcoholic beverages sold and consumed at the same stores when Japan's consumption tax is raised from 8 pct to 10 pct in October next year, it was learned Thursday. The ministry now plans to apply the reduced rate of 8 pct to all food and nonalcoholic beverages at retail outlets, such as convenience stores, on condition that they are not consumed inside outlets, informed sources said while citing new criteria for the application of the reduced rate compiled by the ministry. The new criteria do not reflect the convenience store industry's request for leaving the 8 pct tax rate unchanged for all food and nonalcoholic drinks, including those consumed in dining spaces. To get full application of the reduced rate, grocery stores with sitting spaces will be required under the new rules to explicitly notify shoppers of prohibition of eating and drinking there, the sources said. Japan's Financial Services Agency ordered Suruga Bank <8358> on Friday to stop extending fresh loans for real estate investment for six months, over its improper practices related to such financing. The FSA also ordered Suruga Bank, based in Numazu in the central prefecture of Shizuoka, to clarify management responsibility over the scandal and submit specific improvement measures by the end of November. The ban on real estate investment loans will be in place between Oct. 12 and April 12 next year. A business suspension order effective for such a long period is rare in Japan. The bank can continue other services, such as deposit withdrawals. It is the first business suspension order issued in Japan to a domestic bank since one given in December 2013 to Mizuho Bank, a unit of Mizuho Financial Group Inc. <8411>, over loans extended to antisocial forces by an affiliated lender. Japan will not send any Maritime Self-Defense Force vessels to an international fleet review to be held in South Korea on Thursday, due to a South Korean request not to display the MSDF's rising sun flag during the event, Defense Minister Takeshi Iwaya said Friday. The South Korean request reflects antipathy among the country's public toward the flag, which features a rising sun with sun rays, the same design as that for the now-defunct Imperial Japanese military's flag. As the Korean Peninsula was under Japan's colonial rule in 1910-1945, the flag is regarded as a symbol of its past militarism by South Koreans. In South Korea, a law revision to ban the use of the flag in the country was submitted to its parliament on Tuesday. The flag row is hitting the Japan-South Korea relationship as the two countries mark the 20th anniversary this month of the 1998 joint declaration on their 21st-century partnership being adopted by then Japanese Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi and then South Korean President Kim Dae-jung. According to Defense Ministry officials, Japan received South Korea's invitation to the fleet review in October last year, and the MSDF had been considering sending a destroyer to the event. Restaurants near Tokyo's Tsukiji market are concerned about a possible rat invasion after the demolition of the iconic wholesale food market, to be closed Saturday for relocation to the Toyosu district. While authorities are attempting to get rid of the rats in the market in Chuo Ward, an expert believes that their efforts will have limited results. It is not known how many rats are in the market. Tatsuo Yabe, the 77-year-old head of a consultation group for exterminating rats, said there should be nearly 10,000 of them, given the size of the market and abundance of food there. Restaurants in the so-called outer market, the popular shopping area next to the Tsukiji market, especially fear brown rats, which can spread infectious diseases and food poisoning. The outer section will stay on after the market's relocation. In the current fiscal year, the Tokyo metropolitan government spent 35 million yen to get rid of the rats in the market, deploying 40,000 adhesive rat traps and rodenticides. 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. Writing in the condolence book, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh lauded the former leader for his contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. Minh wrote that in his capacity as the General Secretary, comrade Do Muoi made historic and strategic directions in external relations such as normalising ties with China and the US, signing the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation with the European Union, joining ASEAN and launching negotiations on the Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US. At the ceremony, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace Kong Sam Ol conveyed a letter of condolences from King Norodom Sihamoni to General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong. Sim Ka, a member of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) Central Committees Standing Board expressed his profound condolences to the Vietnamese Party, government and people and family of comrade Do Muoi and wished that he will rest in peace. The ambassadors of Laos, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Myanmar, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and representatives from embassies and international organisations in Phnom Penh also came to pay their last respects to the former Party leader. On October 5, the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, the Vietnamese Consulate Generals in Sydney and Perth also held respect-paying ceremonies and opened funeral books for the former Party chief. Representatives of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, diplomatic corps, embassies of Laos, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Venezuela also paid tribute to comrade Do Muoi. Lao Ambassador to Australia Sisavath Inphachanh wrote that the former General Secretary was a great leader who made great contributions to national liberation and development, as well as ties between the two Parties and special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam. A similar ceremony was also held in Myanmar on October 5. Two sons of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Prince Akeem Adeyemi and Prince Bayo Adeyemi will battle each other for the Afijio... Two sons of the Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi, Prince Akeem Adeyemi and Prince Bayo Adeyemi will battle each other for the Afijio/Atiba/Oyo East/Oyo West Federal Constituency seat in the House of Representatives during the 2019 general election. Prince Akeem Adeyemi fondly known as (Skimeh) is currently representing the constituency under the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He was elected to represent the constituency in 2015. The duo of Akeem and his brother, Prince Bayo Adeyemi popularly called (D-Guv), secured the tickets of APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the Reps seat during the primary elections of the parties respectively. Akeem got the APC ticket while Bayo secured the PDP ticket during the primary elections held in Oyo town. Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, has asked the panel the national working committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (... Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, has asked the panel the national working committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) set up to conduct a fresh governorship primary, not to visit the state. Yari said this while reacting to the dissolution of the state executive committee of the ruling party. The NWC had dissolved the exco and scheduled a fresh primary election for Saturday. This followed the cancellation of the previous exercise over violence. Yari has been accused of igniting the crisis in a bid to impose his candidate on the people. But the governor denied this allegation, accusing Adams Oshiomhole, national chairman of the ruling party, of working against the interest of the APC. He accused Oshiomhole of attempting to influence the outcome of the primary, saying he is ready to go any length, even laying down his life, to prevent that from happening. We are here for another briefing regarding the primary elections in Zamfara state. We have barely less than 52 hours by the guidelines of electoral act 2018 and we are still here with no member of the committee to conduct the primary election, he said. One development which is yet not clear, the APC national chairman announced through the publicity secretary the dissolution of party executives. Though, they have sent the counter release that what they mean is that the state exco should not take part in the processes of primary elections in Zamfara state, that we have no problem with. Now, we heard that the committee of the chairman is not in consultation with any working committee. He (Oshiomhole) is trying to be a kind of mini-godThe committee he sent to Zamfara state, I want to say it categorically, they should never step into Zamfara for one minute. I, Abdulaziz Yari, governor of Zamfara state, head of government and security, I am saying that the committee sent by Oshiomhole to come and do a dirty job should not dare come into Zamfara state. We are ready, including myself, to be taken to the graveyard tomorrow. If he knows that his father and mother gave birth to him, he should send those people and see and it is fight to finish. Sokoto State governor and Presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) Aminu Tambuwal on Saturday said only a candidat... Sokoto State governor and Presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP) Aminu Tambuwal on Saturday said only a candidate that understands the complexities of the country can deliver it from challenges. The governor who spoke during a visit to the Lagos State PDP Secretariat, told party members that the country is highly complex to be managed by politician who is not well grounded on developments in the country. He added that if he becomes the President next year, the country would be turned around by providing basic necessities for the people. According to him, the country could no longer lag behind in the comity of nation, urging the PDP to elect a candidate that would deliver in the dividend of democracy. He said: This time around we must get it right by ensuring that the party field a candidate that can defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019. We must bring someone who can revive the country and must be someone the people can trust. As former Speaker House of Representatives, what we did still speaks volume. I shall give each and everyone in this country a sense of belonging. That is to say, we will all work for the development of the country. Ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention, presidential aspirants are making final arrangements to get a chance ... Ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national convention, presidential aspirants are making final arrangements to get a chance at the partys ticket. Two of the aspirants Senate President Bukola Saraki and David Mark, his predecessor met with key stakeholders vital to their success, on Friday night. While Saraki met with members of the national assembly in Port Harcourt, Mark met with ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo at his Abeokuta residence in Ogun state. The agenda of the meeting between Saraki and the lawmakers was unknown but it is believed to be seek their supper before the convention begins. In a statement, Paul Mummeh, spokesman of Mark, said this principal was endorsed by Obasanjo during the visit. He said the former president was of the opinion that Senator Mark possess the requisite skill, knowledge and experience needed to put the nation back on track. Mark was quoted as saying: I have come to brief our leaders of my ambition and to seek their guidance and blessings. I am happy to report that I got their endorsement. I am grateful for this gesture. I promise to do only those things that would give them pride and honor. I am flattered by their show of affection and encouragement. I can only promise not to let them down. Obasanjo is not a member of the party but he wields influence, having served his two terms as president under the PDP. The Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Saturday pointed out qualities the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, should look o... The Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, on Saturday pointed out qualities the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, should look out for before picking their Presidential candidate. Spokesperson of Afenifere, Yinka Odumakin in an interview said PDP delegates should pick a candidate who can restructure the country and can be trusted by Nigerians. Odumakin said this while reacting to who should emerge PDP candidate that can muscle power from President Muhammadu Buhari among the crop of aspirants contesting. PDPs Presidential primary election will hold today in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Among those jostling for the Presidential ticket include, former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, Senator from Kano, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, the Senate President, Bukola Saraki among others. Speaking, Odumakin added that PDP delegates should pick a candidate who is impartial, put Nigeria on the path f productivity and one who will give Nigeria a fresh start. According to Odumakin, Looking at it, PDP is parading about 13 aspirants and at the end of the day, only one will emerge and from the look of things they have some very formidable names, I mean Atiku is a very strong candidate, Saraki, Kwankwaso are all strong candidates. I dont think that there is short supply of good material but I wish delegates pick the best of the best who can carry out this assignment of taking over Nigeria and putting us on the right path, who can restructure the country to true federalism; a President with a very wide mind and is well connected and can be trusted among Nigerians. We need a president who is not parochial, not looking at his corner of the country, a President that can bring everybody on board and run an inclusive government, who can give Nigeria a fresh start and put the country on the path of productivity, and that is the kind of person the delegates should pick today. It is rare for someone to live for more than 100 years like comrade Do Muoi. It is even rarer when such a man has made significant contributions to the country and its people, set an example of diligence, thrift, integrity and fairness, and won the respect of Party members and the people, both during his career and when he departed this life. Devoting more than 80 years to the revolutionary cause, comrade Do Muoi was jailed by the French colonialists at Hoa Loa Prison and entrusted to hold many important Party and State posts, every one of which he was completely dedicated to. Comrade Do Muoi was at the helm when the country was undergoing tremendous difficulties, notably the fall of socialism in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe and the Doi Moi reform process, which abolished the central command economy that was deeply ingrained in the minds of millions of people. The real stories of how he led the Party and people to overcome those days might seem quite alien when retold today. During those days, the fall of the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe sowed confusion and shook the confidence in the countrys way forward. A big question was raised: Without the Soviet Union and the socialist bloc to lean on, can Vietnam withstand and continue on the socialist path? With a renewed mind-set and political sensitivity, as the captain of the Vietnamese revolutionary ship, comrade Do Muoi gave an answer not by lengthy, abstract and incomprehensible preaches but prompt and creative policies in politics, economics and external relations, which lifted the country out of danger to continue going forward. Reforming to go forward and going forward requires reforming. Such a practicality, as I understand, is a both revolutionary and scientific solution of the Party that comrade Do Muoi was brave enough to embrace in order to steer the revolutionary ship out of the fierce storm. In order to unify perception and action within the Party, many classes on new theoretical issues were conducted after the 7th Party Congress with a crop of carefully chosen lecturers, however, most students only preferred listening to General Secretary Do Muoi, whose lectures were not only profound but also animated and practical. During his years as General Secretary, the world witnessed Vietnams significant watershed on the diplomatic front, from an isolated country, Vietnam normalised its relations with China in 1991, with the United States in 1995 and joined the ASEAN in the same year. In memory of comrade Do Muoi, I want to recall a few stories that many might consider trivial. As everyone witnessed, when receiving international or domestic guests, working with central leaders or local leaders, he was always associated with simplicity. Once he was asked Why do you always wear the Zhongshan suit? He answered truthfully, I often have a sore throat so I wear this suit to keep my neck warm and so as not to have to put on a tie. And then to avoid further why-questions, he turned to the suits made domestically from popular materials. Those with an opportunity to visit his house at 11 Pham Dinh Ho Street, where he had lived for decades, could see his simplicity even more clearly as any precious or expensive items were barely present. Comrade Do Muoi not only set an example on but also called on everyone to practise thrift. As General Secretary, that he asked the Central Committee members to drink green tea only, and not bottled water, was a true story. It is also true that he disapproved of building a new Party headquarters. One time when he attended an anniversary ceremony, he refused to have a flower pinned on his chest, explaining that a flower costs a small amount of money but thousands or millions of such flowers are a waste of money. Following his example, I directed my subordinates to put an end to the practice of pinning flowers on the chest of delegates. Later as Minister of Culture and Information, I also succeeded in scrapping the practice of giving gift bags at national anniversary ceremonies. Many officials were able to learn the habit of reading books every day from comrade Do Muoi. Quite a lot of those who visited him felt awkward when they saw him holding a newly published book and asked Have you read this book yet?. Comrade Do Muoi is no more but he has left many good memories of his dedication to the country and people. The country and people of Vietnam will always remember him and accord him deep respect. The Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye has stated that the invitation extended to him, the Senate President... The Senator representing Kogi West senatorial district, Dino Melaye has stated that the invitation extended to him, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and Senator Ben Bruce was to stop them from resuming at the National Assembly on the 9th of October. Melaye, Saraki and Bruce were yesterday at the centre of the protest against the result of the Osun State governorship election. The lawmakers, among other topshots of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, had stormed the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, demanding the commission to declare Ademola Adeleke, the candidate of PDP, as winner of the election. Bruce had alleged that police attacked the protesters . The Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had summoned the Senate President and Senators Melaye and Ben Bruce over their alleged involvement in the disturbance of public peace and safety in the FCT. President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has reacted to a press release issued by the Nigeria Police over the protest staged by the Peo... President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, has reacted to a press release issued by the Nigeria Police over the protest staged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Sarakis reaction was contained in a statement by Yusuph Olaniyonu, his Special Adviser on Media. He said police made various forms of spurious, unfounded and false claims about the protest in which they singled out three senators, Saraki, Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce, of the many leaders of the PDP, including three Governors, a former Governor, presidential aspirants and members of the national working committees, and accused them of involvement in the disturbance of public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari Way. He said: After carefully reading the Police statement, one cannot but describe the claims made in it as laughable, crude and and another low point in the posture of the police against the opposition in the country. In exercise of their constitutional rights of assembly, expression and movement, leaders of the PDP decided to stage a peaceful procession from the partys campaign office on Ibrahim Babangida Way to INEC and Police Headquarters. The procession consisted of the Senate President, the party national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, presidential aspirants, members of the National Assembly, Governors of Ekiti and Sokoto States. Later, the Governors of Taraba and Gombe States joined the procession, The purpose was to express the opposition of the PDP to the manner in which the electoral body and the security agencies had been colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate election results and subvert the will of the people, as evidenced by the conduct of the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun State. We wanted to send a clear signal that such official subversion of the will of the people in favour of the APC should not be repeated in the 2019 elections. At the INEC secretariat, the procession spent over 40 minutes where the various leaders addressed the crowd in the presence of two national commissioners of INEC, including the one in charge of legal matters, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu. The two INEC commissioners equally responded to the complaints raised by the PDP leaders. It was a civilised, frank and enlightened exchange, devoid of any rancour. The procession then headed towards the Police Headquarters while being hailed on the streets by ordinary Nigerians who came out to cheer the leaders standing in an open van. From the Eagles Square end, the procession was on the other side of the road going to Police Headquarters. The procession did not even get to the point where it will turn to the side where the Police Force Headquarters is located when the police rained tear gas on the people. They deliberately targettted the open vans in which the Senate President and other VIPs were standing. The procession quickly diverted to the Area 11 Junction leading to FCDA. The diversion was done to avoid a repeat of the 2003 event in which a similar tear gassing event led to the death of a former Senate President, Senator Chuba Okadigbo. Let it be known that the hostile, brutal, needlesss, tactless and uncivil response of the Police under the present leadership of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to the peaceful, lawful and justified procession was in contrast to how the same police responded to a similar protest by the opposition in 2014. In 2014, the protesters then led by the Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), the candidate of the opposition party, were not attacked. They were tolerated and their grievances listened to by the police leadership. In 2014, it was the same Nigeria Police as we have today. The difference is the temperament and democratic credentials of the then administration, in general, and that of the Police leadership, in particular. The fabrications by the Police as contained in their press statement only show the new police leadership as mere jesters trying to hone their skills in comic script-writing. Every move of the PDP procession today was recorded by the media Television, print, radio and online -, citizens, members of the civil society and the international community. These independent observers know that nothing is far from the truth than the claims made by the Police in their statement. It should be noted that the Police under Idris are simply setting the stage for another onslaught on members of the Nigerian Senate and that is why they singled out the Senate President and two other Senators as the people being invited and accused of all these false charges. It is clear that the Idris-led Police are intent on turning Nigeria into a police state and destroying members of the opposition at all cost and that that is why they specialize in framing up leaders of the opposition and other outspoken legislators on false charges. The Senate President Dr. Bukola Saraki has said that they will not allow the Police under the present leadership to turn Nigeria into a Banana Republic and that the hostile, brutal, needlesss, tactless and uncivil response of the Police under Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to the peaceful, lawful and justified procession was in contrast to how the same police responded to a similar protest by the opposition in 2014.Saraki responding to the Police claim on Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)s protest in Abuja yesterday said the Nigerian Police under Idris Ibrahim was setting the stage for another onslaught on members of the Nigerian Senate and that is why they singled out the Senate President and two other Senators as the people being invited and accused of false charges.He also said that It is clear that the Idris-led Police intent was on turning Nigeria into a police state and destroying members of the opposition at all cost and that is why they specialize in framing up leaders of the opposition and other outspoken legislators on false charges.The statement signed by Yusuph Olaniyonu, Special Adviser to Senate President on Media and Publicity, further said the invited Senators and their party will exercise their right at all times and in all cases. We know that Nigeria has not turned to Banana Republic and we will not allow the Police under the present leadership to turn it to one, no matter the expertise for evil being displayed by its top personnel.Read full statement belowOur attention has been drawn to the blatant lies contained in a press release issued by the Nigeria Police this afternoon over the protest match staged by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Abuja against the infamous roles that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Nigeria Police have been playing in recent elections across the country, particularly in the Ekiti and Osun gubernatorial elections.The Police in their statement made various forms of spurious, unfounded and false claims about the protest in which they singled out three senators, Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki, Senators Dino Melaye and Ben Murray-Bruce, of the many leaders of the PDP, including three Governors, a former Governor, presidential aspirants and members of the national working committees, and accused them of involvement in the disturbance of public safety, unlawful blockade of Shehu Shagari Way., causing innocent people to scamper for safety and violent attack on Policemen posted to ensure security of Force Headquarters, pushing and hitting the policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquaters, pushing and hitting the policemen to forcefully enter the Force Headquarters to cause damage to Police Equipment and properties.After carefully reading the Police statement, one cannot but describe the claims made in it as laughable, crude and and another low point in the posture of the police against the opposition in the country.In exercise of their constitutional rights of assembly, expression and movement, leaders of the PDP decided to stage a peaceful procession from the partys campaign office on Ibrahim Babangida Way to INEC and Police Headquarters. The procession consisted of the Senate President, the party national chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, presidential aspirants, members of the National Assembly, Governors of Ekiti and Sokoto States. Later, the Governors of Taraba and Gombe States joined the procession,The purpose was to express the opposition of the PDP to the manner in which the electoral body and the security agencies had been colluding with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate election results and subvert the will of the people, as evidenced by the conduct of the gubernatorial elections in Ekiti and Osun State. We wanted to send a clear signal that such official subversion of the will of the people in favour of the APC should not be repeated in the 2019 elections.At the INEC secretariat, the procession spent over 40 minutes where the various leaders addressed the crowd in the presence of two national commissioners of INEC, including the one in charge of legal matters, Mrs. May Agbamuche-Mbu. The two INEC commissioners equally responded to the complaints raised by the PDP leaders. It was a civilised, frank and enlightened exchange, devoid of any rancour.The procession then headed towards the Police Headquarters while being hailed on the streets by ordinary Nigerians who came out to cheer the leaders standing in an open van. From the Eagles Square end, the procession was on the other side of the road going to Police Headquarters. The procession did not even get to the point where it will turn to the side where the Police Force Headquarters is located when the police rained tear gas on the people. They deliberately targeted the open vans in which the Senate President and other VIPs were standing.The procession quickly diverted to the Area 11 Junction leading to FCDA. The diversion was done to avoid a repeat of the 2003 event in which a similar tear gassing event led to the death of a former Senate President, Senator Chuba Okadigbo.Let it be known that the hostile, brutal, needlesss, tactless and uncivil response of the Police under the present leadership of Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to the peaceful, lawful and justified procession was in contrast to how the same police responded to a similar protest by the opposition in 2014.In 2014, the protesters then led by the Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd.), the candidate of the opposition party, were not attacked. They were tolerated and their grievances listened to by the police leadership. In 2014, it was the same Nigeria Police as we have today. The difference is the temperament and democratic credentials of the then administration, in general, and that of the Police leadership, in particular.The fabrications by the Police as contained in their press statement only show the new police leadership as mere jesters trying to hone their skills in comic script-writing. Every move of the PDP procession today was recorded by the media Television, print, radio and online -, citizens, members of the civil society and the international community. These independent observers know that nothing is far from the truth than the claims made by the Police in their statement.It should be noted that the Police under Idris are simply setting the stage for another onslaught on members of the Nigerian Senate and that is why they singled out the Senate President and two other Senators as the people being invited and accused of all these false charges.It is clear that the Idris-led Police are intent on turning Nigeria into a police state and destroying members of the opposition at all cost and that that is why they specialize in framing up leaders of the opposition and other outspoken legislators on false charges.This fresh attempt will fail. The invited Senators and their party will exercise their right at all times and in all cases. We know that Nigeria has not turned to Banana Republic and we will not allow the Police under the present leadership to turn it to one, no matter the expertise for evil being displayed by its top personnel. Nguyen Dinh Can, Former deputy head of Hoa Lo prisons liaison board: Remembering a resilient revolutionary soldier On receiving the news of former Party General Secretary Do Muois passing away, I recollected my memories of those fierce days at Hoa Lo prison in Hanoi. During the time I was imprisoned, I fully understood the obstacles and fierceness faced by brother Do Muoi and I became more respectful of the strong will and courage of brother Muoi and his fellow prisoners, who made their escape from the prison to continue to serve the Party in March 1945. Brother Do Muoi joined the national revolutionary in 1936. In 1941, he was arrested by the French colonialists and sentenced to 10 years in jail. He served his sentence at Ha Dong and Hoa Lo prisons in Hanoi. Although revolutionary soldiers faced fierce living conditions at Hoa Lo prison, brother Muoi joined his fellow prisoners to manage their lives. Despite being sentenced, he and his fellow prisoners made every effort to collect news about the revolutionary happenings outside, while nurturing their intention of escape. A number of plans were mapped out and they waited for proper time to execute them. In March 1945, when Japan staged a coup detat, he joined other revolutionary soldiers, including Tran Tu Binh, Cao Dam, Tran Quang Hoa, Nguyen Tuan, and Phan Lang, and successfully escaped from the prison. Soon after the escape, they took part in the preparation for the August Revolution. Recalling those days past, I feel great admiration for the firm stuff, strong will and trust in victory of brother Do Muoi. During his arduous time serving his sentence, he still maintained his calm and clear mind to find a way in the dark of prison. Experiencing hardship, brother Do Muoi attached great care and devotion to the country, as well as his fellow countrymen and comrades, which could be seen through his practical actions. No matter if he was working in an office or even after retiring, brother Do Muoi always paid great attention to former Hoa Lo prisoners and had regular meetings with us, during which he fuelled us with motivated sprit and courage. We will always remember him, today and forever more. Hoang Van Nghien, former Party Central Committee member, former Chairman of Hanoi city Peoples Committee: Contributing to the capital citys development During my time in office, I had the opportunity to meet and directly work with comrade Do Muoi, during which I received his directions and suggestions on a number of issues in Hanoi, particularly those related to space organisation, urban construction and management. I remember that when we were crossing by collective buildings, comrade Do Muoi said that the State budget was not enough for the construction of new urban areas, thus the city authorities need to search for solutions to attract businesses participation in this work. During the construction of the Linh Dam new urban area, comrade Do Muoi showed a lot of attention to the project. He visited the apartments and contributed opinions on the project. He said that the construction and design for the complex should be in accordance with the residents demand. He also told the leaders of Hanoi city that Hanoi is the capital of the country, with rapid growth in population, thus a thorough consideration was needed in the building of a socio-economic development strategy for the city, which must satisfy the peoples need while ensuring social welfare. He listened to and made a number of revisions on the Hanois master plan until 2020. Many of his ideas have become reality and contributed to the beautiful appearance of Hanoi today. Party General Secretary Do Muoi (C) exchanges with delegates attending the 7th National Party Congress in June 1991 (Photo: VNA) Tran Vinh Tuyen, Vice Chairman of Ho Chi Minh Citys Peoples Committee Devoted to the Party, State and people In the early 1990s, I joined Youth Union officers throughout the country at the talk with Party General Secretary Do Muoi on the implementation of the eighth Party Congress Resolution. Former Party leader Do Muoi left a vivid impression on us thanks to his impassioned speech, which included practical realities and touched upon many existing problems at that time. He called on drastic and immediate actions from officers, Party members and the entire system to bring the Resolution to life. Through his talk, we could feel his dedication to his work, his readiness to embrace difficulties and his concern about the countrys situation. Comrade Do Muois enthusiasm strongly inspired all of the participants at the talk, motivating each of us to make more contributions to the country and its people and promote the vanguard role of youth. This touching memory of mine about former Party leader Do Muoi reminds me that in any circumstance or in any position, leaders must inspire others and put themselves in others shoes in order to develop a close connection with the people and fully understand them. Truong Van Trinh, Secretary of Tan Lap hamlets Party Committee, Tan Trao commune, Son Duong district, Tuyen Quang province: A leader with close attachment to the people Uncle Do Muoi visited Tan Trao commune to attend the 50th anniversary of August Revolution and National Day in 1995 when I was Secretary of Tan Lap hamlets youth union. Soon after his arrival, uncle Do Muoi saluted the families of policy beneficiaries, the elders, children and households in the hamlet to learn more about the living conditions of the locals. He asked the leaders of the province, district, and the relevant ministries and sectors to pay greater care for people in the mountainous region. He also ordered the construction of a kindergarten for students in the hamlet. During his speech at the celebration, he called on the Tuyen Quang people to advance economic development, reduce poverty, and build a prosperous life. Residents in Tan Lap hamlet have kept their impressions of the former Party chief as a humble leader who had a close attachment to the people and penetrated the peoples aspiration. A delegation of the Central Committee of the Lao Peoples Revolutionary Party (LPRP) and the State of Laos led by LPRP General Secretary and President of Laos Bounnhang Volachith paid last respects to Do Muoi at the Vietnamese Embassy in Vientiane on October 6 morning. The Lao party leader and President wrote in the condolence book that with the passing of Do Muoi, not only the Party, State and people of Vietnam lose an exemplary revolutionary and a beloved leader, but the Lao Party, State and people also lose a close friend. Comrade Do Muoi has made great contributions to Vietnams cause of national defence, construction and development over the past more than 80 years. He also contributed greatly to strengthening and fostering the great friendship, special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam, Bounnhang Volachith wrote. The day before, Chairwoman of the Lao National Assembly Pany Yathotou also led a delegation to pay homage to Do Muoi at the Vietnamese Embassy. Representatives from Lao ministries, agencies, and foreign embassies in Vientiane came to the Vietnamese Embassy to pay tribute to the former Party chief of Vietnam and offer condolences. In Singapore, the Vietnamese Embassy is opening the condolence book from October 5 to 7. On behalf of the Singaporean Government, Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan paid last respects to Do Muoi at the Vietnamese Embassy. Writing in the condolence book, the minister hailed the role of former Party General Secretary Do Muoi in Vietnams process of integration into the world economy, noting that under his leadership, Vietnam joined the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 1995. At the Vietnamese Embassy in Cuba, on behalf of the Communist Party and State of Cuba, Secretary of the Party Central Committee Jose Ramon Balaguer wrote in the funeral book that during the most difficult time of Cuba, Do Muoi as Party General Secretary had demonstrated permanent friendship and love for Cuba, provided the biggest possible help to Cuba and warmly welcomed Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz when he visited Vietnam in 1995. Vietnamese Embassies in India, Indonesia, Malaysia, France and Canada have also held tribute ceremonies and opened funeral books for former Party General Secretary Do Muoi. Do Muoi, who passed away in Hanoi on October 1 at the age of 101, served as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee from June 1991 to December 1997. Vietnam holds a State funeral and two days of national mourning for him on October 6 and 7. One serving, costing VND30,000 (US$1.28), involves two bowls, one each of noodles and snails in snail broth. Snails are thought to be cold on the stomach, thus the dish is often served with a few drops of chili sauce to warm it up. At many cold snail noodle stalls in Hanoi, the noodles are bar-shaped vermicelli but tangled noodle strands are always a perfect choice since the thin strands of noodle go well with the coolness of the dish. The broth is the combination of steamed snail broth and wine vinegar, treating customers sour and sweet savor. Imerialism, War, Revolution in East Asia China China in 1900: as noted in the last section, this arbitrary turn of the century date of 1900 marks nothing for China, except perhaps a rough half-point in a century of foreign aggression, internal challenges of population explosion and natural disasters, elite debate over the best way forward, and successive governments attempting to lead the country. As noted in the previous time period of 1750-1919, developments surrounding the Versailles Peace Treaty, ending WW I in 1919, marked the turning point for China, and for Japan. To recap Chinas search for a new form of government amid events around 1900: In the context that US sanctions imposed on Iran have come to force, Irans lawsuit against the US for breaching its commitments in the nuclear agreement called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) is causing Iran-US relations to deteriorate quickly. The ICJs ruling, which required the US to ensure that its sanctions do not affect goods in service of Irans people or civil aviation safety, has been applauded by Tehran. Meanwhile, the US criticised the ICJs ruling and said the court had no jurisdiction in the issue. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo accused Iran of using the ICJ for political purposes. As a judicial agency established by the United Nations (UN) in 1946 to settle disputes between states and the highest court of the UN, ICJs decisions are only binding but not enforceable. Thus, in this case, for the US, which once ignored the ICJs rulings, the courts decision seems to only have political meaning as it gives certain support for Iran in front of US sanctions. In fact, the pressure from US sanctions has a significant impact on the lives of Iranian people, especially when the second round of sanctions, aimed at the field of oil exports Irans major source of revenues will take effect on November 4. Iran has called for a multilateral approach to the Iranian nuclear issue to replace the go big or go home solution at present. Despite facing multiple challenges ahead, Iran still affirms its tough policy of conducting no negotiations with Washington over the existing issues while conditions are not yet ripe, with allusions to the lack of trust building between the two parties. Members of the International Court of Justice conduct a hearing on alleged violations of the 1955 Treaty of Amity between Iran and the United States, August 27, 2018. (Reuters) The US withdrawal from the JCPOA and the reimposition of sanctions against Iran has damaged the relationship between Washington and its European allies. Many European companies have been forced to leave shortly after they returned to this potential market for fears of US sanctions. In an effort to salvage the fragile nuclear deal, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani highly appreciated Europes big steps to maintain business with Tehran, regardless of US sanctions. However, Europes diplomatic and economic efforts do not seem to be enough to offset the damage brought about by Washingtons JCPOA withdrawal, prompting Iran to repeatedly warn of its declining patience to stay in a deal that was unilaterally broken by the US. Iran recently affirmed that it will possibly make a decision to withdraw from the JCPOA in the case that the European Union (EU), China and Russia could not ensure Irans rights under the deal. In the legal battle between the US and Iran, Washington does not seem to receive support from any sides. The ICJs ruling contributed to pushing the US into a lonely situation, while asserting its support for Irans opposition to Washingtons unilateral sanctions. However, the retaliatory moves from the US signals a possibility that Washington will once again ignore the decision by the court. The ICJs verdict is seen as a temporary solution to cool down Irans fierce response to US sanctions. There is no guarantee that the decision will be complied with by the US. Washington has even called for a full review of international agreements that force the US to abide by the ICJs binding decisions. Although Iran is seizing the advantage over the US in some respects, with a history of tense relations between the two sides, the US-Iran confrontation is expected to proceed in an unpredictable manner. Beijing responds to remarks by Pence, says China adheres to noninterference The Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it was "ridiculous" for Washington to characterize China's regular exchanges with the US as interference, after US Vice-President Mike Pence accused Beijing of meddling in American politics. "It is very ridiculous for the US side to stigmatize its normal exchanges and cooperation with China as China interfering in its internal affairs and elections," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement. "China always follows the principle of noninterference in others' internal affairs, and we have no interest in meddling in US internal affairs and elections," Hua said. "The international community has already known fully well who wantonly infringes upon others' sovereignty, interferes in others' internal affairs and undermines others' interests. Any malicious slander on China is futile," the statement said. Pence's speech "made unwarranted accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies and slandered China by claiming that China meddles in US internal affairs and elections", Hua said. "This is nothing but speaking on hearsay evidence, confusing right and wrong and creating something out of thin air. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to it," she said. In Washington on Thursday, Pence said in a speech at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, that China was using "wedge issues" such as tariffs to advance its political influence in the US and globally. He accused China of seeking to sway the US midterm elections on Nov 6, in retaliation for US trade policies against Beijing. Hua said China's policy toward the US is "consistent and clear-cut". "We are committed to joining hands with the US to work for nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation," she said. "We urge the US to correct its wrongdoing, stop groundlessly accusing and slandering China and harming China's interests and China-US ties, and take concrete actions to maintain the sound and steady development of China-US relations," she added. Pence also credited the US for China's rapid development, noting that China has become the world's second-largest economy. "Much of this success was driven by American investment in China," he said. Hua said China's development is mainly due to the Chinese people's hard work and its mutually beneficial cooperation with countries around the world. Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the US, said China wants to end the trade conflict, but the US position keeps changing, "so we don't know exactly what the US would want as priorities". "We are ready to make a deal. We are ready to make some compromise, but it needs the goodwill from both sides," Cui said in an interview with National Public Radio on Wednesday. Cui said he does not see sufficient goodwill from the US. "We offered to reduce the trade deficit of the United States, for instance. And we also presented a very good proposal to the US side about the further reform and opening-up in China, some of the so-called structural issues," he said. "Then I think more than once we had some tentative agreement between the two working teams. Then just overnight the tentative agreement was rejected, and the demand from the US changed. So this is very confusing, and this is making things very difficult," he said. Cui also spoke about the South China Sea. "We have sovereignty over many of the islands in the South China Sea. And this has been a long-standing position of China," he said. Cui said that at the end of World War II, the then-Chinese government, with the help of US naval ships, took back the islands from Japan. "It was American naval ships that sent Chinese troops to take back these islands from Japan. So we have a long-standing sovereignty over these islands, but we are also aware there are some territorial disputes," Cui said. "And now we're ready to work with other countries to have negotiations to have a final solution to such disputes," he said. "We understand this will take a long time, but in the meantime it is our intention to maintain stability there. That's why we are working on a code of conduct with the ASEAN countries. "Before we are able to solve the territorial disputes, we should work together to maintain stability, to try to engage in some joint development of resources there, to keep a good order in the region," Cui said. "So I just hope that the United States will join our efforts, will be helpful, not try to disrupt the process toward peaceful negotiations." People's Daily, in an opinion article published on Friday on its website, said US leaders' recent unwarranted accusations regarding China's internal and foreign policies are outdated and full of mistakes. The US accusations distort facts and confuse right and wrong, and are full of factual and logical errors that don't conform to the times, it said, describing the US positions as "numerous absurd arguments". Georges Mihaies, a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Task Force at UNESCO, said the US administration's harshness toward China is a temporary thing, since the two sides have many shared interests. Jon R. Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, said Pence's claim that China is attempting to tilt the US midterm elections against Trump is laughable. "After all, it was the US, not China, that initiated a series of massive tariffs and trade restrictions. To then turn around and claim that China is trying to influence the midterm elections because it responded to US tariffs is ludicrous," he said. Dong Leshuo contributed to this story. Members of the 19th Chinese medical team in Rwanda pose for a group photo with guests from China and Rwanda at a farewell and welcome reception in Kigali, capital of Rwanda, on Oct. 5, 2018. The 19th Chinese medical team in Rwanda has taken over the role from their predecessors following Friday's farewell and welcome reception in Kigali. (Xinhua/Lyu Tianran) KIGALI, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The 19th Chinese medical team in Rwanda has taken over the role from their predecessors following Friday's farewell and welcome reception in Rwanda's capital city Kigali. The size of the Chinese medical team in Rwanda reached over 200 members in only 18 missions, signifying the intensity of health cooperation between Rwanda and China, said Zuberi Muvunyi, Director General of Clinical and Public Health Services at Ministry of Health of Rwanda at the reception. Muvunyi, who awarded certificates of honor to members of the 18th Chinese medical team, said health cooperation between the two countries have important developments in different areas including infrastructure, equipment and education, envisaging further cooperation in redeveloping Rwanda's health sector in harmonization with needs of the Rwandan people and considering developments in regional integration. The 18th Chinese medical team working in Kigali's Masaka Hospital and Kibungo Hospital in Eastern Province made real contribution to the improvement of local health services, said Xing Yuchun, charge d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Rwanda. Since 1982 when China sent its first medical team to Rwanda, Chinese medics have treated more than 800,000 Rwandans and carried out over 26,000 operations, said Xing. Besides, they have been providing medical equipment, training Rwandan medical personnel and transferring medical knowledge and skills to trainees and other Rwandan people, she added. The Chinese medical team helped us and treated our patients, which led to improvements of Rwandan people's health, director of Kibungo Hospital William Namanya told Xinhua. They also helped capacity building of medical staff working in the hospital, said Namanya. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (R) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin in New Delhi, India on Oct. 5, 2018. The Russian president arrived in the Indian capital Thursday on a two-day visit. (Xinhua/Partha Sarkar) NEW DELHI, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- India Friday inked a multi-billion dollar defense deal with Russia to acquire S-400 Triumf missile systems from Moscow, government sources here said. The pact was signed during talks between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and visiting Russian President Vladimir Putin here. "The missile deal worth over five billion U.S. dollars has been signed between India and Russia. Under the deal, India will get five such missile systems. The deliveries will begin in two years' time," the sources said. The Russian president arrived in the Indian capital Thursday on a two-day visit. "As and when the government approves it, delivery (of the missiles) will be in 24 months," Indian Air Force chief B.S. Dhanoa had earlier said. 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. Yesterday Apple and their Contract Manufacturers filed an opposition brief / memorandum in San Diego. Florian Mueller of FOSS Patents who is covering the Qualcomm-Apple patent infringement cases extensively, especially in Germany and the U.S., reports that in simple terms, Qualcomm is trying to duck any patent-specific decisions on infringement, validity, and (especially) exhaustion. They just say they have 130,000 patents and want billions in royalties. Mueller's commentary is supported right at the start of Apple's brief under the "introduction" segment wherein they state: "As Qualcomm's pattern of conduct should now make clear, Qualcomm is desperately seeking to make this case about the value of its "immense portfolio of patents" in the abstract while avoiding any discussion of the actual merits of any of the patents that Qualcomm claims are valuable." Based on that, "The Court should deny Qualcomm's latest attempt to avoid putting its patents to the test." For the record, the yellow highlighting in this report is not found in Apple's filing but rather added by Patently Apple for emphasis. When reading the brief, the use of the common acronyms "CM" or "CMs" stands for contract manufacturers Compal Electronics, Inc., FIH Mobile Ltd., Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Pegatron Corporation and Wistron Corporation (collectively, the "CMs"). Apple goes on to state in their motion that "Qualcomm's narrow covenant not to sue ("Covenant") does nothing to moot the exhaustion, invalidity, and noninfringement counts that Qualcomm seeks to dismiss. Qualcomm's Covenant is carefully worded to promise only that Qualcomm will not sue Apple or the CMs for infringement of the nine patents-in-suit 'under the patent laws.' Yet, nothing in Qualcomm's Covenant prevents it from making claims about these patents to support its demands. Despite the Covenant, Qualcomm contends that Apple and the CMs owe billions in royalties and that these patents assist in demonstrating the value of the Qualcomm patent portfolio being licensed. As a result, questions of whether the patents-in-suit are exhausted, invalid, or not infringed remains highly relevant and subject to the Court's jurisdiction. The claims that Qualcomm seeks to dismiss are similarly material to the 'broader licensing dispute.' For years, Qualcomm has pursued illegal and abusive business practices aimed at extracting exorbitant royalties from companies, like Apple and the CMs, in the market for baseband processor chipsets that cellular devices use to communicate. In this case, Apple and the CMs have challenged Qualcomm's licensing of patents for which Apple and the CMs owe Qualcomm no payment because they are exhausted, invalid, and/or not infringed. For example, patent exhaustion issues arise throughout Apple's Complaint and the CMs' Counterclaims, including in counts seeking (1) a declaration of unenforceability of patents due to exhaustion (2) declaration of unenforceability of the CMs' license agreements, (3) a determination that Apple is entitled to restitution of monies paid pursuant to the CMs' license agreements for patents that were exhausted, and (4) violations of the Unfair Competition Law including Qualcomm's seeking and obtaining license fees from Apple and others for exhausted patents. Apple and the CMs also have asked the Court to order disgorgement of the overpayment of license fees that they have paid for, among other things, exhausted patents. Therefore, Qualcomm's current demand for a license fee for exhausted patents, and Apple's and the CMs' past payment of monies for exhausted patents, remain live in the case. Importantly, Apple's and the CMs' claims for exhaustion extend beyond just the nine patents-in-suit. Apple's and the CMs' pleadings raise a broader case or controversy 'regarding the exhaustion of Qualcomm's patent rights with respect to patents substantially embodied in baseband processor chipsets sold by Qualcomm to Apple's CMs.' Qualcomm itself has put at issue in this case the exhaustion of 93 additional patents by claiming that they are essential to certain cellular standards with which Apple products comply, and by using them to support its assertions regarding the value of its portfolio. More specifically, in response to the claims of Apple and the CMs, Qualcomm is trying to prove that Apple and the CMs owe billions in royalties based on the value of its entire portfolio. Qualcomm's Covenant as to the nine patents-in-suit does nothing to moot the broader case and controversy over the exhaustion of other patents in Qualcomm's portfolio, including the 93 declared standard-essential patents ("SEPs") that Qualcomm has now injected into the case. Because Qualcomm's Covenant does not moot the case or controversy over the exhaustion, invalidity, and noninfringement counts, the Court should deny Qualcomm's motion. The rest of the brief covers Apple's 'Factual Background.' In the conclusion of Apple's brief they state in-part: "Apple and the CMs respectfully request that the Court deny Qualcomm's partial motion to dismiss, as to their Counts of unenforceability due to exhaustion, invalidity and noninfringement." To read Apple's full motion before the court and Florian Mueller's broad analysis of the motion, click here. For those deciding to review the full Apple brief on FOSS Patents, let it be known that the first 26 pages of the 103 Scribd document found in Mueller's report relate directly to Apple's brief. Beyond that point are other documents and exhibits that are both viewable and not viewable that could confuse matters. Other Recent Patently Apple reports on Qualcomm 01: Legal Analyst Claims that Qualcomm is clearly Stumbling in their battle with Apple in Mannheim Trial due to Tech-Savvy Court 02: Intel's General Counsel Weighs in on Qualcomm's Failure to win its Patent Infringement case involving Intel Modems 03: Qualcomm is angry over a U.S. International Trade Commission Judge Refusing to Ban iPhones in the U.S. 04: In Qualcomm's most recent case against Apple, we learn that Apple cleverly developed a Workaround in iOS 12 to defeat Infringement 05: An Expert Opinion from the Swedish Patent Office says that Qualcomm's Patent used to Sue Apple Should be Invalidated 06: An Amicus Brief filed by two Technology Associations fully Support the FTC's Motion against Qualcomm over Essential Patent Licensing 07: Qualcomm to Face new Antitrust Investigation into German iPhones using Intel Chips by the European Commission CANBERRA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese Embassy in Canberra on Friday refuted Australian senator Concetta Fierravanti-Wells' remarks against China on its economic cooperation with the Pacific Island Countries, saying she once again "made unwarranted invective and blatant slander against China". "The ridiculous and absurd allegation, filled with cold-war mentality, reflected the senator's prejudice, arrogance and ignorance," said the embassy in a statement. The the senator's article, titled "Bellicose China is popping up everywhere", was carried by Friday's newspaper The Australian. "The senator this time, in repeating the cliche of the so-called 'debt trap', attempted to prove her baseless accusations by quoting Tongan Prime Minister Akilisi Pohiva and citing the case of Hambantota Port in Sri Lanka," said the statement. According to the statement, however, Prime Minister Pohiva has already clarified his earlier remarks, making it clear that "China has never claimed to collect the debts or take the assets from Tonga in any way, and the governments of Tonga and China have maintained contacts regarding the repayment of the concessional loans." Ranil Wickremesinghe, Prime Minister of Sri Lanka, has also publicly stated that "Sri Lanka was not falling into a debt trap caused by high-interest Chinese loans" nor "ceding control of strategically vital ports to Chinese control." The statement said that whether China's assistance is productive or not, and whether it is a pie or a pitfall, the people of the island countries have the best say. "Over the years, China has provided assistance to relevant island countries within its capacity and with no political strings attached, based on fully respecting the will of the Pacific island countries' governments and people and taking into full account of their development needs. China has also actively carried out mutually beneficial economic cooperation with these countries. All this has effectively promoted the economic and social development of island countries, and been widely appraised by them," it said. "Cooperation between China and the island countries is transparent and open," the statement concluded. "No one could deny the positive outcomes delivered by such cooperation with their assumption or imagination. Any attempt to obstruct the development of relations between China and the island countries is doomed to failure." Concetta Fierravanti-Wells was former minister for international development and the Pacific, who resigned and backed Peter Dutton before the leadership spill. This is not the first time she makes such accusation. Earlier this year, she made similar irresponsible claims, which were questioned and refuted by many island countries. Government has committed about 50 million to embark on a program to grow and export coffee as a commercial crop, Agric Minister, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, has said. This was made known at the Ghana Coffee Conference in Accra which saw stakeholders within the coffee value chain deliberate on ways of making Ghana a leading producer of coffee in the world. Speaking at the Ghana Coffee Conference in Accra, Dr Owusu Afriyie Akoto, said the government has pulled the needed resources to begin the large-scale cultivation of coffee under the Planting for exports and rural development project. We have to diversify into coffee cultivation and export. We have over depended on cocoa over the decades and this has to change. We [government] have committed 50 million into this project and we expect to be in business with coffee exports, he said. The maiden edition of the coffee conference has been described as very timely especially when Ghana is documented to be losing billions of dollars for not investing in this enterprise. President of the Coffee Federation of Ghana, Chief Nat Ebo Nsarko expressed confidence in this project. He said global investors are already on standby to cash into this new coffee enterprise by the government. He said, There is a growing local market for coffee characterized by high demand. This situation leaves us with no option than to hop into production for both export and local consumption. It is sad to know that in the face of Ghanas great potential to rank as one of the worlds leading producers, coffees share of Ghanas GDP stood at a paltry 0.12 per cent in 2015. The commodity, apart from having the potential to rake in more revenue to shore up the $2billion that cocoa generates annually, according to experts, could also create more than 500,000 jobs in the Ghanaian economy. Industry experts say the commodity, especially; the Robusta coffee is better adapted to slightly higher temperatures and is a better alternative to the countrys number one export commodity, cocoa. Industry experts present at the occasion included; the Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General and Director of the Centre for Sustainable Development at Columbia University, Prof. Jeffrey Sachs, Ghanas Minister of Food and Agriculture, Dr. Owusu Afriyie Akoto, Chairman of the Global Coffee Platform, Mr. Carlos Brando and Chief Adams Tiapzi, former Chair, Fairtrade Africa. Source: Joy Business 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 COURTING foreign investors into a developing country such as Ghana is not an easy task, though it has loads of advantages. FIRST and foremost, these foreign investors should be convinced beyond reasonable doubt that where they are sending their money is safe. THAT is to say that the environment is peaceful and stable for meaningful business. IT is a fact that no investor would want to invest in an unstable climate, which can result in huge losses. BESIDES the conducive investment climate, it is important to also point out that there should be in place incentives attractive and enticing enough for investors. THESE are usually in the form of tax reliefs, subsidised infrastructure among many others. IT must be said that having investors in a country comes with loads of benefits. THESE come in the form of opening up of an economy, creating jobs and more importantly contributing to the payment of taxes to the state for the development of a country. THANKFULLY, President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo was recently in the United States of America courted investors to come and invest in Ghana. I urge representatives of Fortune 500 companies to look at Ghana and not to ignore it. Regardless of where the investments are, I am confident that through our policies we can bring greater dignity to the lives of millions of people in Ghana and beyond, President Akufo-Addo was reported to have said this when he addressed Fortune 500 business executives on the sidelines of the ongoing 73rd United Nations General Assembly. IT was a good thing that the President wooed investors into the country. Certainly, investors investing in the country will contribute to the growth of our country. 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 The Minister for Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey (MP) received open letters from the Ambassador-Designate of the Lebanese Republic, His Excellency Maher Kheir, on Wednesday, September 3, 2018. In her welcome remarks, Hon. Ayorkor Botchwey recalled that Ghana and Lebanon have had long standing relations. She added that there is a large number of Lebanese nationals who have lived in Ghana for many years and have well integrated into the Ghanaian society. She indicated that, over the years the two countries have cooperated for their mutual benefit. She intimated that Ghanas Armed Forces has for several years contributed to peacekeeping in Lebanon. She called for stronger economic cooperation and increase in high profile visits between the two countries. She also assured the Ambassador- Designate of the support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration during his tenure. His Excellency Maher Kheir, for his part,recalled the long standing relations between the two countries which dates back to many decades and indicated that most Lebanese nationals see Ghana as their second homeland. He assured that Lebanese living in Ghana are prepared to contribute towards the countrys development. H.E Kheir acknowledged that Ghana has helped Lebanon in several ways, particularly, in contributing to peacekeeping in Lebanon. He pledged to continue from where his predecessor left off to further deepen the bilateral relations between Ghana and Lebanon. Source: Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video The Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) has lost an accumulated revenue of GH4.5 billion over the past five years as a result of infractions by traders, importers and governmental agencies, the Head of Tax Policy Unit at the Ministry of Finance, Mr Daniel Nuer, has said. That, he said, followed the abuse of the suspense regime system which consisted of warehousing, temporary importation, re-exportation and transit by some importers and traders engaged in the stated trades. Warehousing, re-export and transit processes, he stated, allowed the Customs Division of GRA to defer tax revenue on imports, so importers and traders could only pay the needed revenue as and when they are ready to clear them for distribution in the country. Mr Nuer intimated that the situation had seen some recalcitrant importers, traders engaged in diverting the imports for sale and consumption in Ghana without paying the requisite revenue to the authority, thus leading to loss of revenue to the government. We can no longer sit for people to continually defraud the state, while the state loses huge revenues, Mr Nuer stated. Measures At a forum organised by the Maritime Courier Publications in Tema recently, Mr Nuer indicated that although administrative measures were in place to block the loopholes, some traders and importers, as well as some agents, often create other avenues to cheat the system. The forum attracted representatives from the Ghana Maritime Authority (GMA), shipping lines, the Ghana Institute of Freight Forwarders (GIFF), the Berthing Meeting Association (BEMA), Customs and the Maritime Police Unit of the Ghana Police Service, as well as representatives of the Burkina Faso Chamber of Commerce. The discussions focused on the Cargo Tracking Notes (CTN) policy, demurrage, container detention, rent, security and shipping service regulations. Mr Nuer said GRA had imposed administrative penalties of about 300 per cent on traders / importers caught to have engaged in the abuse of the warehousing, re-export and transit mechanisms but the trend had not yielded any positive results. Presently, the GRA, he said, was trying to introduce more mechanisms, including electronic monitoring to police the warehousing, re-export and transit regimes. Prosecution Mr Nuer hinted that the ministry had also encouraged the GRA to commence actions of prosecution of cases identified to have criminal element. He suggested that whereas the GRA regulations made provisions for the institution of criminal charges against persons caught to be engaged in trade fraud, the slow nature of the justice system informed the decision to rather implement the administrative procedure where penalties are imposed on offenders. However, it seems that these actions are not being too deterrent, thus the ministry will support the GRA in any criminal action it intends to take against persons abusing the suspense regime, Mr Nuer stressed and added that the ministry had thus made a commitment in the 2018 mid-year budget to that effect for the enforcement of compliance not only administratively but also using criminal procedures as well. CTN The Deputy Commissioner in charge of Operations, Customs Division of GRA, Mr Seth Dwira, gave an overview of the CTN policy and argued that the GRA had evaluated the policy and was convinced that its implementation would add value to the national single window platform. Answering a question on why a stand alone system by way of CTN was created when the countrys Ghana National Single Window project was being implemented by harmonising all trade process flow, Mr Dwira intimated that the CTN allowed for external verifications to avoid incidents of fake invoices covering imports and served as a checklist for checking diversion of goods in transit. Representatives of the Burkina Faso Chamber of Commerce questioned the slapping of the CTN charges on transit operators who he said had already paid such charges in their home country, but Mr Dwira pointed out that GRA would look at the regime and come out with modalities to address the challenges. 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 President of the Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, left Ghana on Friday, 5th October, 2018, to attend the 5th Edition of the Financial Times Africa Summit taking place in London, United Kingdom from 7th to 9th October. The Summit, being held on the theme Africa Means Business, is featuring high profile speakers in business, politics and economics, as well as Heads of State committed to making business central to their development goals. President Akufo-Addo will also hold meetings with CEOs of some important global enterprises, whilst in London. On Wednesday, 10th October, 2018, the President will fly to Yerevan, Armenia, to lead the Ghanaian delegation to the 17th Summit of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie, which will take place from 11th to 12th October. Ghana, which has been an Associate Member of La Francophonie since 2006, will be admitted at the Summit as a Full Member. Ghana will then be only one of a handful of countries that enjoy full membership of both the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. The President will, after the Summit, fly to Paris, France, for a series of meetings with some potential investors on Saturday, 13th October, 2018. He will return to Ghana on Sunday, 14th October, 2018, and, in his absence, the Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, shall, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution, act in his stead. President Akufo-Addo was accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hon. Shirley Ayorkor Botchway MP, and officials of the Presidency and the Foreign Ministry. Source: Peacefmonline.com Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Casual workers of the Intermodal Shipping Company Limited say the management of the company has deliberately ignored their Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) in the determination of who gets what after their forcible lay-off. Only twenty-eight out of several hundred casual workers were given between 5,000 Ghana cedis and 11,000 Ghana cedis by management as severance award, denying the local union an official seat at the negotiation table as directed by the CBA. Although the management said the union was consulted, Madam Christiana Adoo, Vice Chairperson, told the Ghana News Agency in telephone interview that she was on leave and therefore knew nothing about the arrangement. According to the CBA sighted by the Ghana News Agency, management was obliged to contact and negotiate with the local union on such matters. Mr Daniel Mensah, a causal worker of the company, told the Ghana News Agency that after working the quays, spending days and nights stuffing containers with cocoa beans and enduring the rain, hunger, thirst and mosquito bites for more than ten years as a casual worker, all that he could take home was 5,000 Ghana cedis. According to him, he was told many times that if he worked hard, he would be made a permanent worker so, I put in all my heart, mind, body and soul into the work only to be laid off after ten long difficult years. Several workers told the Ghana News Agency stories of neglect, betrayal and hopelessness endured in an atmosphere of modern slavery and contempt. The company had earlier held an uncompromising stand, arguing that casuals were not covered by any conditions of service and that they worked for their wages and did not deserve any other form of compensation. But Article three of the companys CBA which came into effect on 4th January 2016 says, This agreement shall apply to all permanent, probationary and non-permanent employees of the Company on or before the date of this agreement. In an earlier conversation with the Ghana News Agency, Mr Van-zyl Rhett, the South African born Managing Director, Intermodal Shipping Company branch in Ghana, sympathised with the workers describing them as poor Ghanaian workers, who work so hard but not aggressive enough to assert their rights. The Company has enough money to give them handsome redundancy packages. If this had happened in South Africa, the workers would have burnt the companys properties, he said. Source: GNA Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Seasoned journalist, Abdul Malik Kweku Baako has issued a stern warning to former President John Mahama not to dare touch the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) free Senior High School (SHS) education policy. According to him, Mr. Mahama will be embarking on a suicide mission should he decide to advance his decision to review the double-track policy, peradventure he is elected President of the Republic of Ghana in 2020. Kweku Baakos warning comes on the heels of recent statements by the former President promising to review the Akufo-Addo government's free SHS double-track policy if elected President in December 2020. Ex-President Mahama told his party faithfuls at Cape Coast North constituency during a tour in the Central Region ahead of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) Presidential primaries that the governments free SHS policy is ill-timed. "Our NPP friends, they don't listen to advice, they think they know everything . . . We just finished vacation. Children have been at home for nearly three months. It is time to go to school you say you have to stay at home for nearly 41 days and let your friends go. After 41 days, they will come home and sit down; it doesnt make sense, Mahama said, adding that when elected President for a second time, he would hold a national stakeholders conference where he would panel educationists to revise the policy. But commenting on Peace FMs Kokrokoo, Kweku Baako told host Kwami Sefa Kayi that there will be utter disorder under the heavens should the former President succeed in his agenda. If you abolish double track now, there will be disorder under the heavens. There will be disorder under the heavens; total chaos, he stated categorically, further stressing that Mr. Mahama and the NDC are potentially suicidal. Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has left Ghana for the United Kingdom to attend the 5th Edition of the Financial Times Africa Summit, which begins from Sunday to Tuesday. He left Accra Friday accompanied by the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, officials of the Presidency and the Foreign Ministry. The summit is on the theme Africa Means Business and features high profile speakers in business, politics and economics, as well as Heads of State committed to making business central to their development goals. While in London, the president will hold meetings with CEOs of some important global enterprises. The President will on Wednesday October 10 fly to Yerevan, Armenia, to lead a Ghanaian delegation to the 17th Summit of Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie. The summit will take place from October 11 to 12, 2018. Ghana, which has been an Associate Member of La Francophonie since 2006, will be admitted at the Summit as a Full Member. It will thus make Ghana one of a handful of countries that enjoy full membership of both the Commonwealth and La Francophonie. Nana Akufo-Addo will after the Summit, fly to Paris, France, for a series of meetings with some potential investors on Saturday, October 13, 2018. He will return to Ghana on Sunday, October 14, 2018. The Vice President, Alhaji Dr Mahamudu Bawumia, in accordance with Article 60(8) of the Constitution, is acting as president of Ghana. Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video This October is a month to experience the miraculous Jesus Christ, a month where humanity will meet divinity! The Maker's House Chapel International (TMHCI) at Kwabenya in Accra will this month hold another powerful edition of its annual programme the "Experience Conference" under the theme "Jesus, The Miracle Worker". This year's event comes off from Sunday, October 7 to October 14, 2018 at 6 pm each day. Speakers at this year's conference are Pastor Jonathan Miller from the United States of America, Bishop Miracle Williams (Nigeria), Rev. Eastwood Anaba of the Eastwood Anaba Ministries and the General Overseer of TMHCI, Dr. Michael Boadi Nyamekye. Experience Conference is aimed at bringing people together to experience the "Almightiness of God" and galvanizing both believers and unbelievers into the consciousness of Jesus Christ. There will be an avalanche of testimonies during and after the conference as patrons experience the tangible presence and awesome miracles of the Maker. Indeed, "He healed by faith, exocised the afflicted and He resurrected the dead"! Experience conference 2018 is for you. Come and be mightily blessed!! Video below: Source: Ameyaw Adu Gyamfi/Peacefmonline.com/Ghana Disclaimer : Opinions expressed here are those of the writers and do not reflect those of Peacefmonline.com. Peacefmonline.com accepts no responsibility legal or otherwise for their accuracy of content. Please report any inappropriate content to us, and we will evaluate it as a matter of priority. Featured Video WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Senate Republicans appear to have secured enough votes for the confirmation of President Donald Trump's Supreme Court pick Brett Kavanaugh, as key Republican Senator Susan Collins said on Friday that she will vote yes despite bitter partisan fights over sexual assault allegations against the judge. It now appears that there will be 51 votes in favor of Kavanaugh, since Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia came out minutes after Collins' announcement, the only Democrat to back Trump's nominee. Only one Republican, Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, is expected to vote against Kavanaugh. The Senate is expected to hold its final floor vote on Saturday. It's widely thought that Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court would give Republicans a win that lasts at least a generation. In a speech lasting more than 40 minutes, Collins said she believed Kavanaugh was well qualified and she cannot abandon the "presumption of innocence" over the sexual assault allegations against the nominee. Meanwhile, the senator from Maine slammed the confirmation process "looks more like a caricature of a gutter-level political campaign". "Our Supreme Court confirmation process has been in steady decline for more than 30 years. One can only hope that the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom." she said. As Collins stepped onto the Senate floor to make her speech, protesters in the Senate gallery chanted loudly, "Vote No! Show up for Maine women! " Earlier on Friday, the Senate wrapped up the debate on the confirmation in a procedural vote along partisan lines, paving the way for the final vote. A FBI report sent to the Senate on Thursday said that based on its one-week supplemental background investigation, there is no corroboration of sexual misconduct allegations made against Kavanaugh. White House and Republican Senate leaders said the FBI report revealed no evidence of wrongdoing, while Democrats said the White House tied the FBI's hands and the probe is not thorough. In a Quinnipiac poll issued on Monday, 48 percent of Americans said that Kavanaugh should not be confirmed to the Supreme Court, while 42 percent said he should be confirmed. Three women have come forward to accuse Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting or harassing them during his high school and university years. Kavanaugh has denied all the accusations. We're always interested in hearing about news in our community. Let us know what's going on! Go to form Cui Tiankai (File photo) WASHINGTON, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Ambassador to the Unites States Cui Tiankai has outlined China's stances on a slew of issues of mutual concerns with the United States, including bilateral ties, trade disputes and the South China Sea. TRADE DISPUTES According to an interview transcript released on Wednesday by NPR, a U.S. news outlet, Cui said "we certainly don't want to have a trade war with the United States or with any other country." Noting that "we want to solve it through negotiation and consultation between the two sides," Cui said that "in order for the negotiation, the consultation to succeed, we do need good will and good faith from both sides." Washington has not extended sufficient good faith in this regard, Cui explained that "the U.S. position keeps changing all the time so we don't know exactly what the U.S. would want as priorities." "And number two, I think there's been some attempt on the U.S. side to force something like, the U.S. will get 100 percent and China will get zero," he said. "I don't think this is fair. I don't think this is possible. We are ready to make a deal. We are ready to make some compromise, but it needs the good will from both sides." "In the last few months there have been contacts between the two governments......I think more than once we had some tentative agreement between the two working teams. Then just overnight the tentative agreement was rejected and the demand from U.S. changed. So this is very confusing, and this is making things very difficult," he noted. "We would like to have somebody to tell us the real story ... I think that we still need more good faith." BILATERAL TIES Commenting on the cooperation between Beijing and Washington, Cui said "I think between any two countries, maybe especially between China and the United States, there is a certain degree of competition. This is only natural. But there's also a much larger need for cooperation. This is also the reality in today's world." "Our two countries, together with other countries, are faced with so many common challenges, the so-called global challenges or global issues, and no country can really handle all these things all by itself," he said. "We have to cooperate whether we like it or not. This is a growing mutual need and a common interest." "As far as China is concerned that we are always ready to cooperate with the United States even if we have differences, and maybe just because we have differences the need for cooperation is even bigger," Cui noted. When asked to comment on recent reports that Washington has considered proposals to ban Chinese students from studying in U.S. universities, Cui said that "if this is true, I think that this is a very dangerous situation." "Because so many Chinese students are studying here and a growing number of American students are studying in China. Such people-to-people contact would be the real foundation of friendship and the cooperation between the two great countries," he said. "I could give you a very specific example. You see in the state of Indiana, there's a children's museum ... a few years ago the museum hosted a big, big event on Chinese culture ... it was a great success. And I was invited to address the opening ceremony and I had a meeting with then-Gov. Mike Pence. Gov. Pence was a great supporter to such people-to-people intercultural exchanges," he said. "It's certainly a benefit to both, people of both countries. And the local people, they were so enthusiastic about such cultural events," Cui said. "So why should we cut off all these ties, all these natural ties between the two peoples?" He added that "we are open to American students, professors, journalists or scholars." REGIONAL STABILITY Regarding the South China Sea, Cui said "we have sovereignty over many of the islands in the South China Sea. And this has been a longstanding position of China." "But we are also aware there are some territorial disputes. And now we're ready to work with other countries to have negotiations to have a final solution to such disputes. We understand this will take a long time," he said. "But in the meantime, it is our intention to maintain stability there. That's why we are working on a code of conduct with the ASEAN countries." "We're making good progress in this regard ... It means before we are able to solve the territorial disputes, we should work together to maintain stability, to try to engage in some joint development of resources there, to keep a good order in the region," he said. "So I just hope that the United States will join our efforts, will be helpful, not try to disrupt the process towards peaceful negotiations," Cui added. MOROTO Standing tall, the wooden building looks old-fashioned with its black-coloured wooden walls losing colour. It is clear that the building has cracked ceiling, floor and partly the wooden walls, crumbling old wood, very old timber, doors and paint, and damaged verandas as a result of rainwater with broken door and window glasses. But the sunlight streaming in through old glass windows and door illuminates books left open by children visiting and students seeking a quiet refuge. But this venerable keeper of fairytales and stories of faraway lands has long been ahead of the times. Moroto Public Library the oldest public library still standing in Moroto municipality became the first branch to be fully utilized in 1965. According to records at Moroto municipal council, the building was constructed by the British colonial masters as a guest house for their stay whenever they visited Moroto in 1955. But that in 1965 [ten years later], the wooden colonial building was turned into a library by the then Public Library Board of Uganda. While talking to PML Daily in Moroto municipality Mr Stephen Okurut, the Librarian says the municipal authorities have endeavoured to maintain the Library. The lower end of the Library has been reinforced with hardcore stones and concrete in order to protect the wooden walls from getting soaked in water. The gutters have rusted off; the original timber and doors are very old and need replacement, which the municipal authorities are thinking about, Mr Okurut says. On the other hand the original timber and iron sheets on the Library are still strong. However, soft ceiling boards have been lost and require urgent replacement and veranda repaired. Mr Okurut says because the walls including the floor are made of wood throughout, termites find it easy to destroy the timber and soft boards on the walls. Although we have fumigated to control the termites all the time, this has not helped much. Our biggest challenge is lack of funds to maintain these historic buildings. The situation is even made worse especially now when the ministry of Education sends funds for UPE and USE and does not send funds for the libraries. The best we have done is to keep re-painting the building to make it look good but we still need general maintenance so that the building can last for more years, Mr Okurut adds. We should appreciate such buildings, technology, and architecture of the colonial masters and the people who lived before us serve as memory. We should thank them for their initiative to promote the reading culture in Karamoja even when there was Karimojong going to school at that time, he says. Heritage The British Colonial masters established Moroto guest house (later Moroto Public Library] in 1955. The Moroto Public library building was the first public library in 1965, shortly after independence. The wooden building that accommodates 20 to 30 people is surrounded by shrubs that were seen visibly during its inauguration and still stand at the east yard of the public library to date. Moroto public library building is among the old few buildings that were constructed before 1960 reflecting Ugandas socio-cultural, religious, political and economic history. According to the town clerk Mr Swaibu Balaba, the building has been identified by the municipality and district local government and the Uganda Tourism Board (UTB), Uganda National Museum for preservation as a potential tourist attraction. Mr Noah Ewaru, the mayor Moroto municipality said Karamoja and Moroto especially the municipality are fast expanding and becoming a modern, but they are also losing their historical and cultural identity, especially as historical buildings and sites get modified or even demolished. He observed that heritage preservation efforts in Uganda and the world over are, however, confronted with a number of challenges. In Uganda particularly, rapid population growth causes intense demand for space and resources for development. This coupled with a lack of sufficient awareness of the significance of cultural and historical buildings and monuments put them at risk of being modified or demolished, said Mr Ewaru. Challenges According to Dr Fredrick Okalebo, a lecturer at the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning, Makerere University, the significant historic buildings are at risk because their owners or managers are unaware of their importance. In his paper titled Preserving Historical Buildings in Uganda, Dr Okalebo, observes: many have been neglected and abandoned; some are being threatened or eyed for destruction, some have been altered, some destroyed, many have been destroyed (like Fort Lugard Historical Museum and the Nakawa African Housing Estate in Kampala); and a few are preserved or under conservation (like Parliament Building and Makerere Main Building). The levels of preservation and conservation also leave a lot to be desired, Dr Okalebo notes in the paper that he presented at the launch of the map titled Kampalas Historical Buildings and Sites Our Valuable but Vanishing Heritage in Kampala in November last year. Strategy Mrs Ewaru says photo documentation of some of these buildings also highlight their aesthetic quality and unique design. Mr Ewaru adds that through this initiative, it is anticipated that buildings and sites of cultural and historical significance in Karamoja will be better known and preserved by policymakers and the general public. He said it is hoped that Uganda will be able to offer an enhanced tourism experience, for local and international tourists, who will discover the history of religions, cultures, education, health and political systems in Uganda. Call to authorities First, the district authorities and the government have a duty and responsibility to enforce the protection of historic buildings. Without this, no one will preserve them for future generations, Mr Ewaru said. The LCV chairman for Moroto Mr Andrew Napaja said UTB has pledged to support the promotion of cultural tourism by ensuring that Moroto district passes a policy framework to identify and protect historical and cultural buildings. He added that the region was thrown into international limelight in 2011 when Ugandan and French scientists discovered a 20 million-year-old fossil skull of an ancient primate, more specifically a tree-climbing ape in Napak Mountain. He said other attractions in this region they are planning to preserve are Karamojas rocks as they stand out of the landscape and include Kadam Rock in Nakapiripirit, Napak Rock in Napak District and Mount Moroto. And do you know that in 2010, ancient paintings were discovered on Kobebe hills in Moroto District, Nakapeliet rock, Loteleit rock, Mogoth rock, and Nakadanya rock, all these we must preserve for tourism, said Mr Napaja. The deputy commissioner Uganda Tourism Board Ms Rosemary Kobutagi said through the Department of Museums and Monuments, provision shall be made to develop these national assets into viable tourism products that will be used to promote respect for Ugandas cultural diversity and history. Related Jon Adler As a former law enforcement trainer, I live by the credo: Always wear your body armor and always wear your seat belt. But I don't recall dust masks being part of that safety proclamation. Yet on the 17th commemoration of 9/11, I saw news clips of first responders protected only by dust masks as lethal toxins rained down upon them. I also saw former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani wearing a dust mask as he walked around the impacted area of Ground "Hero." Dust masks were pretty much useless at Ground Zero. I know; I was there and I witnessed first responder honor and leadership on that fatal day, and the days after, but I did not see science. I recall grabbing a five-minute break with my partner Ron Gardella. It was after midnight and technically 9/12. As we sat there drinking bottles of water that a Salvation Army worker was nice enough to give us, the toxic ashes fell on us like lethal snow. Ron looked at me and said, "You know, this probably isn't good for us." He was referring to our breathing in and ingesting the airborne toxins, which we minimized as ashes at the time. Now 17 years later, many first responders are continuing to deal with the sustained exposure to 9/11 toxins. We lost 72 law enforcement heroes on 9/11, and since then, we've lost more than 100 9/11 first responders to diseases associated with sustained toxin exposure. Wearing a dust mask on 9/11 was like bringing a knife to a gun fight. While we all carried firearms, handcuffs, radios, and flashlights, we were not equipped with the knowledge of how to protect ourselves from the toxins. In retrospect, we all understand there was no pause button on 9/11 for medical experts to hit while they researched the impact of sustained toxin exposure. The attacks were unprecedented and we did not have a section on protecting officers from crushed building toxins in our defensive tactics manuals. But much like the evolution of ground fighting, we update our tactics manuals periodically as we learn. By updating equipment, training, and officer knowledge, we better protect our first responders from tomorrow's hazards. And sadly, tomorrow's hazard has arrived in the form of lethal drugs such as fentanyl. Officers and investigators continue to be exposed to lethal synthetic opioids in the course of their duties. After experiencing either touch or inhalation exposure, officers have become immediately ill and have required emergency medical care. Concerns associated with fentanyl exposure have escalated to the point where some judges won't allow it to be brought into their courtrooms as evidence. While that may be a wise decision, simply banning something as a safety precaution doesn't fill the knowledge void. Officers will continue to come into contact with extremely strong and potentially lethal opioid drugs and need to be armed with scientifically validated facts and not fiction. In the past year, POLICE Magazine has published informative articles addressing the dangers of officer exposure to opioids and how officers should protect themselves and even their K-9 partners. To build upon the value of this content, a federal interagency working group created an informative video titled, "Fentanyl: The Real Deal" and unveiled it in August. Supported by the national law enforcement organizations, this seven-minute video has been disseminated nationwide. The video itself provides valuable information on the types of exposure, what to do if exposed, and the anticipated effects, and also dispels misinformation. One point that resonated with me is that officers should clean their hands with soap and water if contact is made and not hand sanitizer, which will only increase the absorption of fentanyl through the skin. During 9/11, and the days after, we did not have a video to guide us. We had dust masks, failed EPA air sensors, and a nagging sense that the toxin exposure wasn't good. The risks of the job are high enough, and we don't need to lose more officers to toxic exposure. Whether it's risks associated with pulverized building toxins, fentanyl, or any other potentially lethal substance, we need to ensure that our law enforcement officers stay informed, stay prepared, and stay safe. All students except preschool now eligible for free meals under special federal guidelines Dearborn Public Schools is expanding its free lunch programs to all students, regardless of family income. The District was recently informed by the Michigan Department of Education (MDE) that it was eligible to offer free meals across the district based on criteria in the Community Eligibility Program (CEP) under the U.S. Department of Agricultures school meals program. Previously, free meals under CEP were offered to all kindergarten to 8th-grade students at 14 schools in the district. Free meals across the rest of the district started the week of September 10. Any time we can provide our students with resources that will help them be successful in school, such as a nutritious breakfast and or a healthy lunch, thats a positive that we cannot pass up, said Superintendent Dr. Glenn Maleyko. Studies show that good health, including good nutrition, is important to student success. While students will not need money to buy meals, most schools will continue to offer individual items for sale in their cafeteria such as extra milk, snacks, or a second lunch. Children would need money in hand or in their student account to buy those items. The CEP program will be retroactive to the beginning of the school year. Students who already paid for lunches will have that money refunded to their student accounts or might be eligible for a refund. Any refund details are still being considered and details will be shared with schools as soon as they are available. Even with the expansion of the lunch program, the district will still ask families to fill out information about household income, although on a different form. This information is needed for schools to be eligible for other programs, including federal Title 1 funding. Dearborn Public Schools received more than $12,300,000 in such funding last year. Dearborn Schools will also have to occasionally survey selected families to see if the district still qualifies for CEP. While not all of Dearborns schools qualify for CEP on their own, the district used a provision that allows it to average schools together to meet the threshold for all its 36 kindergarten through 12th-grade schools. The program is not available to preschool students, so it will not be offered at Cotter School. (Students enrolled in the GSRP program at Cotter can qualify for free or reduced lunch under other federal programs.) Students will also be able to get free breakfasts in the buildings that offer the CEP program. Across Michigan, 652 schools participate in CEP. CEP was designed to allow schools or districts with a higher percentage of low-income families to streamline the free lunch process. To qualify for the program, the area needs to have 40 percent of students automatically identified for free lunch. Typically, that means the family already receives some other type of assistance such as food stamps or Medicare. The schools that were already enrolled in CEP include Becker Elementary, Henry Ford Elementary, Lowrey School, Maples Elementary, McCollough Elementary, McDonald Elementary, Miller Elementary, Oakman Elementary, River Oaks Elementary, Salina Elementary and Intermediate, Unis Middle, William Ford Elementary and Woodworth Middle. Source: Dearborn Public Schools BEIJING, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- China on Friday hit back at U.S. Vice President Mike Pence's unfounded accusations against China on issues concerning Taiwan, the South China Sea, human rights and religion. Pence delivered a speech at a think tank on the evening of Oct. 4, claiming that China interferes in U.S. internal affairs and elections and making accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies. "There is only one China in the world, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory," said Foreign Ministry spokesperson Hua Chunying, adding the U.S. has no right at all to pick on relevant countries who chose to develop relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. "Taiwan independence" forces and their separatist activities pose the gravest threat to peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait, the spokesperson said. "We urge the U.S. to earnestly abide by the one-China principle and the stipulations of the three Sino-U.S. joint communiques, prudently and properly handle Taiwan-related issues and work with China in opposing and restraining 'Taiwan independence' forces while bearing in mind the larger picture of China-U.S. relations as well as peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait," said Hua. Hua said China has indisputable sovereignty over the South China Sea islands and their adjacent waters, and that installing necessary national defense facilities on the Nansha Islands which are Chinese territory is China exercising its right of self-preservation and self-defense as a sovereign state in accordance with international law. "It has nothing to do with 'militarization'," she said. "We urge the U.S. to stop stirring up troubles and creating tensions. The U.S. should respect efforts made by relevant parties to resolve the issue through negotiation and consultation," said Hua. The spokesperson said the Chinese government attaches great importance to protecting and advancing human rights, and people of all ethnic groups in China enjoy full freedom of religious belief in accordance with law. The Chinese people have a greater say on the human rights situation in China than all others, said Hua, calling on the U.S. side to "look in the mirror and reflect on its own human rights problems," instead of exploiting human rights and religious issues to interfere in China's internal affairs. If you were looking for the Charlestown Democratic Town Committee website and ended up here, try this Got news tips, gossip, suggestions, complaints?E-mail us: progressivecharlestown@gmail.com We strive to avoid errors in our articles. Our correction policy can be found here (Photo: CGTN) Food and drinks sold at many Chinese tourist spots are often notoriously priced higher than their market price. But there are always exceptions. A national geological park in central China is winning hearts during the National Day holiday week by offering "one-buck lunch meal." Mt. Laojun Mountain National Geological Park, located in Luoyang City, central China's Henan Province welcomed thousands of tourists with a bowl full of noodle soup almost for free. As swarms of tourists lined up for the lunch service, they were greeted with a transparent donation box asking people to toss in just one yuan (0.15 US dollars) for the tasty meal. "One-yuan lunch, no cashier. Pay consciously and help yourself with changes," read a note on the donation box. The lunch meal consisted of a bowl of noodle soup, a sausage and a steamed bun. Staff cooked the meal with local food ingredients which were affordable regional specialties, China News reported. "To offer visitors a bite of warm food is to share our sincere and heartfelt welcome," said Gao Hong, deputy manager of the scenic park. He explained that charging tourists one buck is just a tactic to prevent food waste. Many visitors applauded the park's effort, with some voluntarily paying extra for the food. On Monday, a total of 1,200 tourists queued for the lunch treat, while the park received 1,275 yuan from the cash box. "One yuan for a bowl of noodle soup, a sausage and a bun is so worthy," a local visitor told China News. "I decided to pay five extra bucks since they've offered us such a good treat." "Food price keeps rising in other tourist spots," another tourist from north China's Hebei Province said. "I've never seen a food meal service like this." Laojun Mountain's "one-buck lunch meal" has set the social media platforms buzzing with heated discussions. While some netizens believed the service was just another marketing scam, others praised the park for offering food at a reasonable price. "Some tourist spots charge 10 yuan for a bottle of water. This is honest business," a netizen commented on Chinese social media platform Weibo. Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Welcome Guest! You Are Here: Home Regional News East She is only the third woman and second Indian after Nobel laureate Amartya Sen to be made a permanent member of the economics department at Harvard. She is also the Managing Editor of Harvard's Review of Economic Studies. She is also co-director of the International Finance and Macroeconomics programme at the National Bureau of Economic Research, a visiting scholar at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, member of the economic advisory panel of the Federal Reserve Bank of New York. She is also co-editor of the American Economic Review, co-editor of the current Handbook of International Economics and was managing editor of the Review of Economic Studies. She has also served as a member of the Eminent Persons Advisory Group on G-20 Matters for India's ministry of finance. Before Harvard, she was an assistant professor of economics at the University of Chicago's Graduate School of Business from 2001 to 2005. Some of us still remember a time before smartphones and Google Maps, when you had to rely on conventional maps and meticulously plan your itinerary beforehand - unless you were the adventurous type. But then came Google Maps, and everything changed. The most comprehensive navigation app has been embraced by everyone, as it constantly added new features that make life easier for travellers. For all travellers? Not quite. Features that are focused on how cyclists experience a city have only been added recently and they still much to be desired. Advertisement Google Maps Has Included Cyclists... Google Maps has decided to incorporate a specialized tool that allows cyclists to plan a route specifically designed for bicycles, just as a car driver or a pedestrian would do. But it has also included specialized map services that are geared towards people commuting by bicycle. By turning the specialized maps on, the maps will show you features that are otherwise invisible, by highlighting bicycle lanes and paths, as well as train tracks. The specialized option can be turned on through the Google Maps menu and is a crucial tool, especially when navigating an unknown area. The Rajasthan government has launched a scheme to provide free electricity to farmers having general category connections, Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje said on Saturday. Addressing a public rally on the culmination of her Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra, the chief minister said the scheme launched on Friday would help increase the income of farmers. I want to announce that the government yesterday had started a scheme of free electricity for all farmers in rural areas having electricity connection in general category for specific limit, she said. Raje said the electricity infrastructure in the state was in bad shape when she came to power, adding that the government turned the situation around by infusing nearly Rs 40,000 crore. She said currently, domestic power was available for 20-22 hours a day. We want the farmers to get free electricity to some extent so that they their income can increase, Raje said. She also announced that the state government was working on the Rs 37,000 crore "Eastern Rajasthan Canal Project to address the water-related issues of the region. Taking the stage after Rajes address, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said the Centre was evaluating the issues of the ERCP and a decision would be taken soon. The project will provide water for drinking and irrigation purposes to 13 districts in eastern Rajasthan. Modi said ever since the Indira Gandhi Nahar Pariyojna, Rajasthan had not laid foundation of any other irrigation project. He lauded the developmental work carried out by Chief Minister Raje, saying the Bharatiya Janata Party government in the state had worked hard to electrify 13 lakh villages, ensure housing for all and implement strict laws against crimes like rape. It takes courage to reach out to people to get a report card of the works done in five years, the prime minister said referring to Raje's yatra. He asked party workers to strengthen their booth management, saying booths won meant elections won. The rally ended shortly before the Election Commissions press conference in Delhi announcing the polling dates for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana. Rajasthan will go to the polls on December 7. Counting will take place in all five states on December 11, the EC announced. The BJP had earlier said Raje would be its chief ministerial candidate in the upcoming assembly elections in the state. The Samajwadi Party said on Saturday it will no longer wait for the Congress to decide on an alliance for Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, suggesting it preferred Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party. The SPs snub to the Congress comes just days after Mayawati ruled out any BSP alliance with that party for Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh assembly elections, a move which could hit opposition efforts to form an anti-Bharatiya Janata Party front before the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The Congress has made us wait for too long. How much longer must we wait? SP president Akhilesh Yadav said. We will now consult the Gondwana Gantantra party with which we had an alliance, and also the BSP, for the coming assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Yadav told reporters. Time is passing by and we cannot wait any longer, he said. Reacting to Yadavs remark, the Congress said in New Delhi that it had not been planning an alliance with the SP in Madhya Pradesh in any case. But Congress spokesperson Randeep Singh Surjewala added there had been a possibility of an alliance with the BSP in Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. On Wednesday, Mayawati said her Bahujan Samaj Party will contest the assembly polls on its own or in alliance with a regional party. She had said Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi wanted an alliance but some selfish senior leaders in their party were out to foil any understanding. Reacting to Mayawatis statement, Akhilesh Yadav had then urged the Congress to show large-heartedness by taking along other parties. If there is any delay, there is a possibility that other parties may declare their candidates. After this, there will be a levelling of allegations that they colluded with the BJP, he had said. Madhya Pradesh will go to the polls on November 28, the Election Commission announced Saturday. The ABVP has put the onus on Delhi University to verify Ankiv Baisoya's degree and is defending its leader. But there's not a single word of support from its political masters. Veer Arjun Singh reports. IMAGE: Ankiv Baisoya, who supposedly graduated two years ago from the Thiruvalluvar University in Vellore, Tamil Nadu, failed to name the head of his department there or teachers who taught him. Photograph: Kind courtesy @AnkivBaisoya_DU/Twitter Who: Ankiv Baisoya, 23, kept fidgeting with his hands as the mic was brought closer to his mouth. 'Can you recall a few subjects you had studied during your undergraduate course?' the reporter from the news channel Aaj Tak had rephrased the question several times to make a point. Baisoya shifted his weight from one leg to the other and repeated his answer, 'Several subjects including English, skill-based subjects and core theory.' It only got worse from there. He was then asked to name his head of department or any other teachers that he liked. Baisoya, who supposedly graduated two years ago from the Thiruvalluvar University in Vellore, Baisoya is a member of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh-affiliated Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad and the newly-elected president of the Delhi University Students' Union. Tamil Nadu, fired blanks. What: Soon after the ABVP won three of the four key posts at the Delhi University elections, which were marred by vandalism and accusations of poll rigging, the Congress's student body, the National Students Union of India, accused Baisoya of faking his Bachelor of Arts degree. It produced a letter from the Thiruvalluvar University signed by its controller of examinations. Despite the counter-claims of Baisoya and his colleagues at ABVP, many news organisations have spoken to the Thiruvalluvar University and independently confirmed the authenticity of the letter, which states that the copy of the certificate of the following candidate is verified and found to be 'NOT GENUINE', conspicuously in bold letters. 'It is a FAKE CERTIFICATE,' it read. Where: Delhi University polls this year have been a whirling controversy from the start. The tearing of posters and the episodes of violent show of strength by student organisations have become a trademark of these elections. This time, even the counting of votes was halted twice after a technical snag in the electronic voting machines. The accusations of poll rigging are being heard by the Delhi high court. And for Baisoya, who is now at the centre of the controversy, the problems are only getting bigger. Why: There's little defence coming from the trolls on this one. Attendance records of the College of Vocational Studies are now being circulated over Twitter, Facebook and WhatsApp groups, indicating that while Baisoya claims to be studying in Vellore, he was also enrolled as a student of CVS in Delhi. A report by digital media portal Newslaundary claims that a few teachers at CVS remember Baisoya because of his participation in students' protests at the college. The ABVP has put the onus on Delhi University to verify Baisoya's degree and is defending its leader. But there's not a single word of support from its political masters. Despite his shaky media interview, where he could not elaborate on the 'several subjects' he had studied, Baisoya repeatedly said that his focus was on subjects that improve 'skill'. Looking at the criticism on social media, his stress on the keyword is playing out as a cruel irony for the Bharatiya Janata Party. Union Minister Arun Jaitley on Saturday termed mahagathbandhans in India as tried, tested and failed ideas, saying if such an alliance is formed again then 2019 will be a contest between a stable government led by a strong leader and an anarchic combination. Expressing confidence about the Bharatiya Janata Partys win in 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he said this is not a time for India to test an anarchic kind of combination when it is on the growth path. Giving historical accounts of mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) in India, Jaitley said, You tried it under Chandra Shekhar, it was partly tried under V P Singh, it was tried under Charan Singh and it was tried under I K Gujaral and Dewe Gowda. Its an experiment where policy gets killed and the longevity of the government is a few months. So, these (mahagathbandhans) are tried, tested and failed ideas much that they sound very fancy. In order to have a big alliance, you must have a large nucleus and smaller groups aligned around them. You cannot have a nucleus of a handful of people and you cannot have an alliance of political parities whose interests are regional, the finance minister said at the HT Leadership Summit. Jaitleys comments have come in the run-up to the upcoming assembly polls in some major states and also the Lok Sabha elections. These remarks assume significance amidst talk of formation of a grand alliance of opposition parties to defeat the BJP in 2019. He further said, You cannot have an alliance with parties whose leaders are maverick or they want to be in alliance to have criminal cases to be closed. If you get together this kind of a crowd then 2019 will be a choice between a stable government with a strong leader versus a completely anarchic combination. Observing that history had provided India a great opportunity, he said, India has been growing fast consistently despite global slowdown and other factors. So, therefore, this is when we need coherence, governance and policy. This is not the time where you can go in for an anarchic kind of combination. I think aspirational societies never commit suicide. So, I am very clear what will happen in 2019, he said. Dismissing Congress president Rahul Gandhis allegation that the Narendra Modi-led government is responsible for mounting bad loans in the banking sector, Jaitley said, I think some people need to grow up and understand these issues. Debate on these issues has to be a grown-up debate. The total amount of debt given till 2007-08 was about Rs 18 lakh crore by public sector banks in the country and when the global slowdown began this Rs 18 lakh crore went up to Rs 55 lakh crore in 2014, he said. Year after year, he said, the previous United Progressive Alliance government was asking banks to grow their lending by 31 per cent. So the undeserving and unstable projects were all been funded. Thats when the bank loot started. So the Congress president must realise that this was the genesis of the problem, he said. The second crime that they committed was instead of accepting the problem of additional capacity, banks were asked to roll over the debt when the borrower started defaulting, he said. Citing an example of Vijay Mallya without taking his name, Jaitley said in one of the most controversial cases where person has escaped to the United Kingdom, it was the Reserve Bank of India which wrote to State Bank of India to please give him (Mallya) a second restructuring. So you have managed the system to such an extent that the RBI telling State Bank of India that someone should be given a second restructuring, he added. Mallya, who is currently in the United Kingdom, has been charged of defaulting on bank loans to the tune of Rs 9,000 crore. Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party of working for the interest of a few rich people and ignoring the farmers and other sections of the society. IMAGE: Speaking at an event organised by a tribal organisation, Adivasi Ekta Parishad, Rahul Gandhi raked up the Rafale deal and demonetisation . Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter He also raked up the multi-billion Rafale fighter jet deal with France to attack Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Gandhi said his party will ensure implementation of the tribal rights bill if voted to power in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajashthan, which go to polls in November and December. If you want to help out the rich, do it but also help the farmers and other poor sections of the society. If Rs 3 lakh crore of the rich can be written off, then why not give such concessions to farmers and other poor sections of the society? he asked. Speaking at an event organised by a tribal organisation, Adivasi Ekta Parishad, he said, The tribal bill is not a gift, but right of the tribal people. The tribal people must have their rights over land, water and forests. The Scheduled Tribes and other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, is a key piece of forest legislation passed when the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance was in power at the Centre. Also called the tribal bill, it concerns the rights of forest dwelling communities to land and other resources denied to them for decades due to colonial forest laws. IMAGE: The Congress chief alleged that in the 2016 demonetisation exercise, black money became white, nobody went to jail and contrary to the BJPs promise. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter Gandhi charged the Modi government with diluting the consent clause in the Land Acquisition Bill and also weakening the Panchayati Raj institutions. The Congress chief alleged that in the 2016 demonetisation exercise, black money became white, nobody went to jail and contrary to the BJPs promise, no one received Rs 15 lakh in their bank account. He said before taking a decision, unlike the BJP, he thinks whether it will benefit the poor. If the decision will harm the interests of the poor, I never go ahead with its implementation. On the other hand, the BJP thinks whether its decisions will benefit the rich, Gandhi said. The BJP goes ahead with the implementation only if the decision benefits the rich, he added. IMAGE: Rahul Gandhi offers his prayers at Gwari Ghat near Jabalpur. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter He further told the gathering that he always fulfils the promises he makes to the people. I am in politics since 2004 and you can check my speeches. Give me one example where I have made promises like depositing Rs 15 lakh in your bank account, he said. In Karnataka, I promised that if the Congress returns to power, farmers will get a loan waiver. Accordingly, the chief minister implemented the decision after the new government was formed, the Congress chief said. Gandhi said the BJP wanted to implement the rural employment guarantee scheme MNREGA and Right to Food policies of the UPA through bureaucracy, while the erstwhile dispensation had empowered panchayats and pradhans (village heads) to take decisions regarding them. The bureaucracy doesnt want these schemes, so their budgetary allocations have been reduced, he alleged. IMAGE: Large number of people came out to attend Rahul's Morena rally. Photograph: @INCIndia/Twitter He also targeted the Modi government for letting liquor baron Vijay Mallya and diamantaire Nirav Modi flee the country with public money. Nirav Modi robbed your money from the banks to the tune of Rs 35,000 crore and fled the country. Similarly, Vijay Mallya took away Rs 10,000 crore from the banks and informed (Finance Minister Arun Jaitley) before leaving the country, Gandhi said. So far, no action is being taken in these two cases, he alleged. Mallya is facing charges of money laundering and defaulting on loan payments, while Nirav Modi is an accused in the over $2 billion PNB fraud case -- the countrys biggest financial scam. Reiterating his allegations about the Rafale fighter jet deal, Gandhi said Modi cancelled the contract that the UPA had signed with France and inked a new deal to buy the aircraft at a much higher price. The prime minister gave the (offset) contract to his friend Anil Ambani instead of the state-run company Hindustan Aeronautics Limited, he alleged. The BJP-led government has repeatedly denied any irregularity in the Rs 58,000 crore Rafale deal. Ambani has also rejected Gandhis allegations and emphasised that the government had no role in Dassault, the French makers of Rafale, choosing his company as offset partner. In a scathing attack on Saturday on the Congress, Prime Minister Narendra Modi accused the opposition party of practising vote bank politics and dividing people to get into power. IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi waves at his supporters during Vijay Sankalp Sabha, in Ajmer. Photograph: PTI Photo The prime minister made the charge at a rally in Ajmer just ahead of the announcement of assembly election dates for Rajasthan and four other states in November and December. He asked people not to let the Congress get into power again. Modi said vote bank politics is not limited to elections now. Political parties which do vote bank politics divide the bureaucracy when they are in power and this badly affects governance, he said. They allocate the budget as per vote bank politics and therefore overall development does not happen, he said at the meeting which marked the end of Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Rajes state-wide political yatra. The Congress has established this tradition in the past 60 years, Modi said. With great difficulty, the country has picked the right direction now after 60 years. Dont give them another chance again, he said. He said the Congress leaders high command is a family and they can do politics only be revering it. He accused the party low-level politics. The Congress leaders were questioning the surgical strikes by the army across the Line of Control two years ago and insulting soldiers, he said. They should be ashamed of indulging in such politics, Modi said. The rally marked the end of Rajes Rajasthan Gaurav Yatra, an outreach exercise by the Bharatiya Janata Party. The prime ministers rally ended shortly before the Election Commissions press conference in Delhi announcing the polling dates for Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana. Rajasthan will go to the polls on December 7. Counting will take place in all five states on December 11, the EC announced. The Congress on Saturday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi put pressure on the Election Commission to delay its press conference to announce poll dates in five states as he was scheduled to address a rally in Rajasthan, a claim rubbished by the poll panel chief. Chief Election Commissioner O P Rawat said in Delhi that the EC does not work under pressure and listed three reasons for the nearly three-hour delay in giving out the schedule. In Kolkata, senior Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala accused the prime minister of putting pressure on the EC to delay its press conference. He also said the CECs explanation is preposterous and wondered whether Bharatiya Janata Party is the super EC. The EC was set to hold a press conference at 12.30 pm but had rescheduled it subsequently to 3.00 pm. The five states where assembly polls will be held in November-December are Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. There is no pressure... EC does not work under pressure... if someone thinks concessions have been made, they are free to complain, Rawat told reporters in New Delhi. On shifting of the press conferences timing, the CEC listed three reasons -- last-minute assessment of timeline for publication of Telangana electoral rolls, a high court direction that Telangana electoral rolls be shown to it before final publication and request from a state to delay bypolls due to possibility of bad weather. Responding to a series of questions on Congresss accusation regarding postponing of the press conference, Rawat said, Politicians are political creatures and they have to see politics in everything. We have no comments. He explained that the electoral rolls being punched into the system was proving to be a problem in Telangana and the engineers from C-DAC were on the spot to help personnel using the system. Now, the final publication of electoral roll will be made on October 12 instead of October 8. He said keeping in mind the delay in publication of electoral rolls, Telangana polls have been kept at the fag end of the schedule so that preparations are not affected. Telangana and Rajasthan will have elections in a single phase on December 7. He said EC officials will visit Telangana and Mizoram in the coming days, though usually such visits take place before announcement of poll schedule. Rawat said ECs team of officials had already been to the state and the poll panel was satisfied that elections can be held there. However, Surjewala was not impressed with the CECs reply. The ECs explanation for the delay is preposterous. Prime Minister Narendra Modi is guilty of pressuring the EC to delay its press conference as he was scheduled to address a rally. The EC was made to wait for Modis rally, he told reporters. The prime minister addressed a public rally at Ajmer. Surjewala also said that the EC had done a similar thing while announcing poll dates for Gujarat last year. But both the BJP and the EC should remember that such tactics wont bear any results and the people of Rajasthan and India wont give in to any sort of allurement as they have made up their mind against the anti-people BJP government, he said. In Gujarat, BJP IT cell tweeted the election dates even before ECI. ECI delinked Gujarat elections from Himachal to enable PM Modi to make a slew of announcements. ECI again deferred PC to enable PM Modi to do the same in Rajasthan. Is BJP the Super EC? Surjewala later said in a tweet. He said the people of the country are under attack from their own government and the economy is in doldrums with the rupee sliding every day. On who will be the prime minister after the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he said the people will decide. But it will be a peoples government and not be at war with the people, he said. The Modi government has declared war on the people of this country and the present regime has to be defeated in the next elections, he added. Putin's last-minute intervention with PM salvages $5.43 bn pact. Ajai Shukla reports. IMAGE: Russian President Vladmir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi interact with students in New Delhi, October 5, 2018. Photograph: Atul Yadav/PTI Photo The low-key announcement on Friday, October 5, of India's $5.43 billion purchase of Russia's S-400 air defence missile system contrasted sharply with the flourish with which Prime Minister Narendra Damodardas Modi and then French president Francois Hollande announced the April 2015 agreement to supply India 36 Rafale fighters. Meeting the press in New Delhi, Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin avoided any mention of the S-400 during their comments to the media. Nor did the contract feature in an official Ministry of External Affairs list of documents signed. Eventually, India's biggest overseas arms contract since the Rafale buy found official mention only through one brief sentence in the Indo-Russian joint statement, released by the MEA. The joint statement noted: 'The sides (New Delhi and Moscow) welcomed the conclusion of the contract for the supply of the S-400 long-range surface-to-air missile system to India.' I learnt it was not wrangling over the price that clouded the deal with uncertainty. Instead, top Indian government officials disagreed on whether to risk US ire by concluding a deal that Washington has made clear it disapproves of. Sources close to the negotiations said while Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharman has consistently backed the S-400 purchase, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval -- who is more alert to the US signalling -- wanted to postpone signing the contract. On his visit to Washington in mid-September, Doval met top US officials, including Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Defence Secretary James Mattis and his American counterpart, John Bolton. They are understood to have warned him that India's purchase of the S-400 might trigger US sanctions under the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act, CAATSA. CAATSA binds the US administration to impose sanctions against countries that engage in 'significant transactions' with Russian, Iranian and North Korean defence and intelligence entities. To exempt close partners such as India and Vietnam, the US Congress has legislated a waiver that the US president can invoke. However, Doval was told there is no guarantee that President Donald Trump would invoke the waiver for India. Two days after returning from the US, Doval received a top-level delegation from Rosoboronexport, Moscow's defence exports agency, to tie up details of defence contracts to be signed during the Modi-Putin summit. Doval expressed his strong reservations about signing the S-400 contract, given the 'current climate' -- an apparent reference to the Rafale controversy, but which could have also meant pressure from Washington. In the days leading up to Putin's visit, Moscow remained in touch with Doval's office to tie up the visit agenda. The NSA steadfastly maintained that neither the S-400 deal, nor the deal for four Krivak III-class frigates, would be signed during Putin's visit. As late as Thursday, when Putin landed in New Delhi, the Russian side was told that no defence agreements would be signed during the summit. However, Putin raised the subject with Modi, both on Thursday night and in the Friday talks. "Eventually, it was Modi who took the call on Friday morning to go ahead with the S-400 contract," says an individual close to the decision-making. Even so, the announcement was done without flourish. "It is hard to say whether the government is more worried about blowback from the US Congress, or from the Indian National Congress," quipped a senior civil servant. According to Russian language technical papers published by designers of the S-400, it is designed primarily as an air defence system with only limited capability to shoot down ballistic missiles. The designers of the S-400 Triumf (NATO designation SA-21 Growler) say it is built to shoot down aircraft at low and very low altitudes, even when stealth technology greatly reduced their target signatures. Its ability to track multiple targets caters for a crowded airspace with large numbers of aircraft, as well as drones. It is designed to defeat advanced electronic jammers and survive on a battlefield where the enemy is targeting the S-400 with precision-guided munitions. The capability to engage tactical ballistic missiles and intermediate range ballistic missiles -- the anti-ballistic missile role -- is mentioned at the end, almost as an afterthought. Even though the first S-400 units might be deployed to protect Delhi -- its long range allows it to cover the area up to the Indo-Pakistan border from deployment areas in the National Capital Territory -- its primary mission will remain anti-aircraft protection. Guarding Delhi from ballistic missile attack will be the job of an ABM system the Defence Research & Development Organisation is currently developing and testing. While the S-400 will be paid for from the air force budget, its vehicle-mounted configuration allows it to provide air defence cover to the army's mechanised strike corps. It can also be fitted onto capital warships such as the Aegis system, which guards US Navy warships. 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 Egypts Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly said the ranking of 19 Egyptian universities in the Times Higher Education list for the best 1200 universities for 2019 reflects the priorities placed by the government on the quality of higher education. The new ranking, issued late last month, included 19 Egyptian universities, in comparison to nine in last years ranking, eight in the year before and only three in 2016. "The Times Higher Education World University Rankings, founded in 2004, provides the definitive list of the world's best universities, evaluated across teaching, research, international outlook, and reputation, with data trusted by governments and universities, and are a vital resource for students in helping them choose where to study," the ranking's official page says. The Times 2019 rankings showed a noticebale progress for some of Egypt's universities such as the American University in Cairo (AUC), Beni Suef, Kafr El Sheikh, Mansoura and Suez Canal universities, which were all ranked between the 601and 800 places on the list. Alexandria, Cairo, Fayoum, Sohag and Tanta universities ranked from 801-1000, while the universities of Ain Shams, Al-Azhar, Assiut, Helwan, Menoufiya, Meniya, Al Wadi Al-Gedied (South Valley) and Zagazig ranked between 1001 and 1200. Madbouly affirmed in a statement on Friday that the government has placed the quality of education services as a top priority for its agenda, citing great efforts being exerted in both the pre-university and higher education system. The prime minister noted that a number of new universities in new cities will open soon in order to provide the highest level of quality education. "The Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2019 includes more than 1,250 universities, making it our biggest international league table to date" explains the Times ranking website. The rankings "uses 13 carefully calibrated performance indicators to provide the most comprehensive and balanced comparisons for rankings trusted by students, academics, university leaders, industry and governments across the globe." Search Keywords: Short link: 'Egypt was able to reclaim its land to the last inch ... It was able to impose a different strategic reality and formulate the equations in the region based on an orientation towards peace not war and destruction,' said Sisi President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said on Saturday that "the victory of 1973 was not a coincidence because the roots of victory and conquering hardships are deeply embedded in the soil of our great country," adding "that's how Egypt crossed the bridge between defeat and victory from 1967 to 1973." In a televised speech on the occasion of the 45th anniversary of victory in the 1973 October War, the President explained "The October war was not only to regain our land, but achieving peace was also part of our vision ... Egypt has proved its capabilities in maintaing the peace just as it proved it in waging battle ... Keeping the peace represents a challenge no less than war." "On these days in 1973, the people rose behind their armed forces to declare to the world that Egypt is hard to break ... Egypt, thanks to Allah and the efforts of its sons, was able to overcome the difficult period after 1967 ... It rebuilt its army ... It fought a long war of attrition under the leadership of the late president Gamal Abdel-Nasser ... The people proved they were pulsating with will and determination ... Then came the 6th of October War through the decison of the late President Anwar Sadat," El-Sisi said. The Egyptian President then paid tribute to the late president Mohamed Anwar El-Sadat, describing him as "The Hero of War and Peace." Egypt was able to reclaim its land to the last inch ... It was able to impose a different strategic reality and formulate the equations in the region based on an orientation towards peace not war and destruction, the President stressed. He said that recent difficult challenges did not weaken the country's determination to face the threat of terrorism and deal harsh blows to it, stressing that the state was capable of stabilizing the country following a difficult period of polarization and tensions. The President then pointed out that these critical tasks did not distract the state from economic development through a realistic approach to the facts on ground, and without illusions or sloganeering. Sisi highlighted that the Egypt has been able to preserve and maintain the unity of the nation's institutions, and prevent the spread of terrorism. Sisi added that the goal is to transform the Egyptian reality to a better state through modern science, due diligence and confidence, adding that what has been achieved of national developmental projects calls for a sense of pride with the aspiration to achieve more. He continued saying "Egypt has proved its ability to sustain peace, just like its ability in war, and perhaps maintaining peace is a challenge that is not any less than the challenge of fighting, and in both cases, Egypt made it clear that when it takes decisions it is capable of implementing them." At the end of his speech, the president paid tribute to the lives of the heroes and the martyrs of the Egyptian army, who shed their blood on the holy sand of Sinai to achieve peace security for the lives of all Egyptians. The President further paid tribute to the Arab armies that participated in the October War alongside Egypt. He also paid tribute to the martyrs of Egypt in the war on terror, saying that Egypt will always remember their sacrifices and heroism in the effort to secure a safe life for future generations. Search Keywords: Short link: Norsk Hydro ASA (NHY,NHYDY.PK,NHYDY.PK) announced that its alumina refinery Alunorte was granted an exceptional authorization by federal environmental agency IBAMA to utilize its state-of-the art press filter in the processing of bauxite residues. After receiving authorization, Alunorte will be able to re-start the operation at 50% of capacity. Following IBAMA's decision, Alunorte will be working with SEMAS, Secretary of State for Environment and Sustainability, to obtain the authorization to use the press filter on DRS1. This filter provides stackable residues with considerably less water content than the drum filter. On Wednesday, Hydro said it would halt production at Alunorte as the refinery's waste deposit area is close to full capacity due to an embargo on the new press filter and as an ongoing dispute with Brazil's authorities had been preventing Hydro from using a newly created residue facility. "We are ready to re-start our operations.... We are now making every effort to go back to producing as we maintain our dialog with authorities to resume full production," said John Thuestad, head of Hydro's Bauxite and Alumina area. Resuming 50 percent production at Alunorte would also allow Hydro's bauxite mine Paragominas and its joint-venture primary aluminium smelter Albras to continue operating at half capacity, as opposed to being fully shut down as a consequence of Alunorte being idled. For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com Business News Conflict affects education in Yemen: Intl org. [06/October/2018] SANAA, Oct.6 (Saba) - International organizations confirmed that the war in Yemen has severely affected the education of millions of children, the teachers are the most affected because they are without salary since three years from the beginning of the war until now. The UNESCO and UNICEF said in statement obtained by Saba that at least half a million children are out of school since 2015.Meanwhile, 3.7 other million child also cannot continue their studies unless teachers' salaries are paid. In the statement they said that it is necessary to pay the salaries of 145 thousand teachers to begin teaching in those difficult circumstances. They said that delay of salaries caused in collapse of the education sector and led children to work, to recruit, to trafficking and abuse. The organizations called on the international community to end violence against children and to protect their right to education. Amal/Ahmed Al-Mutawakelsaba By SA Commercial Prop News Student accommodation interior. For South African students, being accepted at a tertiary institution is just the first hurdle in the race to higher education. If being accepted at university is like gold dust, suitable, affordable accommodation is like striking a gold mine. Budget cuts, reduced financial support from government and increasing student numbers mean that student accommodation provided by universities and colleges in South Africa is now incredibly scarce. Just 18% of the student accommodation needs are provided for by these institutions according to the Department of Higher Education. However, this state of affairs is nothing new. And over the past five years, property development and management company, The Aengus Property Group, has made it its business to step into this accommodation chasm. Aengus, which holds a portfolio of upmarket yet affordable housing in Johannesburg, Durban and Port Elizabeth, is a pioneer in converting mothballed commercial buildings into stylish, modern and affordable loft apartments. It has also worked closely with the Universities of the Witwatersrand and Johannesburg to meet the needs of students who seek accommodation close to campus. Previous Aengus developments in Johannesburgs trendy Braamfontein area have been hugely successful, offering around 1000 one-bedroom loft apartments with 100% occupancy rates since inception a few years ago. In February this year, Aengus is set to unveil a further seven trendy loft apartment buildings literally on the doorstep of Wits University. Boasting 934 beds, the accommodation is also very close to other tertiary institutions. Given the entrepreneurial spirit of the company, which has at its heart an honest appreciation for the real needs of those who desire affordable housing and accommodation, it comes as no surprise that Aengus has set the bar high for those who want the modern conveniences of residential living but have much smaller budgets. This time around, Aengus has yet again raised the standards, offering double rooms with en-suite bathrooms that should appeal to older students, or those who prefer a bit more privacy. The units come fully furnished with beds, desks, fitted cupboards, kitchens with a fridge and Wi-Fi pretty much everything a modern, globally connected student needs and wants. The buildings also feature 24 hour security with biometric fingerprint access control, and on-site maintenance teams. The lofts are on average thirty paces from the campus, and given the security measures in place, students can walk to and from campus any time of day or night, says Aengus Property Holdings CEO, Richard Rubin. Our strategy meets our ethos which is very South African: safety first. Parents can rest assured in the knowledge their children will be taken care of. And it goes without saying that affordability is synonymous with Aengus brand. Rental contracts are typically for 10 months of the year and vary from R1950 to R2500 per student per month. Not only does Aengus cater for accommodation during the academic year, but its new offering also allows Aenguss student tenants to qualify for discounts if they wish to stay in other Aengus-owned student accommodation in the coastal cities of Durban and Port Elizabeth during the holiday period in December and January. This new offering is known as The Aengus Vacation Club, which we think will be a huge success and will add to the lifestyle offering of the brand, says Rubin. And amidst the luxurious touches the loft apartments have a uniquely student touch with trendy names such as LOL (Love Our Lofts, with 130 beds on 6 Ameshoff Street), KISS Lofts (Keepin It Slick And Stylin Lofts, 208 beds on 30 De Beer Street). Oh go on, the other names are too cool not to mention: RAD Lofts (Right Across the Drag Lofts on 34 Bertha St with 200 beds); LMFAO Lofts (Lofts Made For All OK!, 36 beds on 38 De Beer St); JAW Lofts (Just Across The Way Lofts, 216 beds on 36 De Beer St); ACE Lofts (At Campus Early Lofts, 100 beds on 25 Stiemens St) and lastly WTF! Lofts (not what you think: Walk To and From Lofts, 44 beds on 21 Biccard St) Parliaments session yesterday was quite quick. If you blinked you wouldve missed it. Thats not a joke by the way. You see after not having a session since June when they only convened to pass the 2018/2019 Budget, if you were hoping for a decent debate on a number of issues and the Bills tabled yesterday, you would have been disappointed. And rightly so. After a few long-winded speeches, sometimes full of nonsense, by the usual suspects, Parliament was then adjourned until 18 December 2018. Yes it was that quick. Now the next sitting is just a couple of days before Christmas. We all know what that means. After a few pleasantries, it will be an opportunity for Members of Parliament to wish everyone merry Christmas and Happy New Year before its adjourned again. The trend has become quite noticeable during the past few years. Looking back at this year, it would be interesting to count the number of days Parliament had met. It would probably not even amount to a month. Which is quite telling, isnt it? We accept that what we have in Samoa today is a one-party state. There is no doubting that. What the ruling Government wants will be done with very little opposition if any at all. But heres the thing. If Parliament is supposed to be the supreme law making institution on the land, why does it feel like every time they meet, someone is trying to rush everything through as if this most sacred institution merely exists to rubber stamp what the Government of the day wants? If that is the case, whats the point of Parliament? Who needs it anyway? Why doesnt the Government just pass everything and carry on if they think thats the direction for Samoa to take? Thats certainly what it looks like from the outside. Its always a rush. Sometimes its almost a joke. For those of us who follow the proceedings, every time certain Members of Parliament attempt to speak about important issues, and this includes members of the ruling Human Rights Protection Party who often make some wonderful points, they are quickly reminded to keep their remarks to a minimum. Why do they need to keep their remarks to a minimum? Someone should remind the Speaker of Parliament that Members of Parliament are representatives elected by their constituents to represent their voices in the House? Which means they need to be given time to do just that. However long it takes. Who cares if the opinions are irrelevant and stupid? Even those stupid opinions can contribute to a healthy discussion about issues affecting Samoa today? And looking around this country, there are so many issues. From crime, rape, incest, poverty and hardship. Then there is the issue of public servants behaving as if public properties belong to them, abusing their power and positions for greed and gains. We can go on. The point is that members of the public should expect transparency and accountability especially from Parliament, when it comes to their sessions. Voters and constituents deserve better. Lets not forget that the short session yesterday had already been postponed from Tuesday. Why that was done, we dont know. We should know. We are talking about Parliament, an institution that should feel duty bound to exercise transparency and accountability when it comes to its decision-making. Interestingly enough, Salega Easts Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai, claimed the decision was made to allow Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi, who was in New York, to return to Samoa. Whether thats true, we dont know and we will probably never know. Judging from yesterdays display though, there was absolutely no need to wait for Prime Minister Tuilaepa. In fact it was the Prime Minister who moved a motion to adjourn the session until December because he had to be somewhere else. Well we understand he is a busy man and he had to leave but why did they have to stop Parliament? Which brings us back to a point Olo made last week. When we look at this, all members of Parliament are available, the Speaker, Deputy Speaker, Deputy Prime Minister, Cabinet Ministers and all Members of Parliament, are all available, he said. The number we have exceeds the number we need for a quorum and therefore the Parliament session should proceed. Does this mean Tuilaepa does not think his Cabinet as well as Members of Parliament are capable of holding the Parliament session? What do you think? A one-state party dominated by a one-man band? Write and share your thoughts with us. Have a wonderful weekend Samoa, God bless! The Government is moving to amend the Constitution once more in relation to the role of the Head of State to make the Office a lot more professional. Thats what Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaoi told Parliament yesterday during the second reading of the Head of State Amendment Bill 2018. The amendments seek to bring the entitlements and salaries of the Head of State and members of the Council of Deputy to be in line with the public service salary scale. The Bill was among three Bills tabled and discussed during Parliaments half a day session. The other Bills include the Alcohol Control Amendment Bill 2018 and the Intellectual Property Amendment Bill 2018. Prime Minister Tuilaepa said Samoa has been independent for 56 years. In the beginning, he reminded that more than 160 chiefs of Samoa deliberated on the Articles of the Constitution. They agreed on having two Heads of State. There was Tupua Tamasese Meaole and Malietoa Tanumafili II, he said. According to Tuilaepa, a lot of articles in the Constitution in relation to the Head of State no longer apply which is why the amendments are necessary. A lot has changed and now the tenure is limited to five years. This means the conditions at the time were specifically for the first two Heads of States, Tupua and Malietoa. This is why we are moving to amend the Act. He made it clear that anyone is entitled to become the Head of State now, as long as they are a chief and elected by Members of Parliament. Tuilaepa also took issue with the word faletua (wife of a paramount chief) used in the proposed amendments. The English word spouse is relevant but the Samoan word must be changed to reflect both genders, but not faletua, said Tuilaepa. The amendments also touch on how to address the Head of State. It proposes that instead of His Highness, it should be the Afioga i le Ao o le Malo. The same goes for the Masiofo. Member of Parliament for Vaimauga Sasae, Sulamanaia Tauiliili Tuivasa, objected to this. The use of the Afioga i le Ao o le Malo is a bit shallow. It does not reflect the sacredness of the title as used before with His Highness, he said. Sulamanaia also took issue with the plan for the Ministry of the Prime Minister and Cabinet to administer the affairs of the Head of States Office. It means the administration of the office will appoint the Secretary to the Head of State on a three-year contract. The Head of State is appointed by Parliament that is that, said Sulumanaia. Then there are Cabinet Ministers who appoint their own secretaries. Why cant the Head of State appoint his own secretary? Tuilaepa intervened and said the executive are paying for the salaries, therefore the selection must come from them. Please be reminded that Cabinet gives the final approval on anything, he said. Salega East Member of Parliament, Olo Fit Vaai, supported Sulamanaia. The correct salutation should still be His Highness the Head of State and not just plainly the Head of State." Just leave that part the way it is. Another amendment states the Head of State must be paid an allowance at a rate fixed from time to time by Cabinet for the following: telephone and overseas official travels and medical entitlements. Another proposed change relates to the allowances and privileges of the spouse of the Head of State. If the Head of State is living with his or her spouse at the time of his or her death, the spouse is entitled to be paid an amount equal to the salary of the Head of State for three months from the date of death of the Head of State as a one off payment. The running cost including maintenance of all motor vehicles (assigned to the Office of the Head of State) is to be paid for by annual appropriation under the Ministry budget. The second reading of the Head of State Amendment Bill 2018 was passed yesterday. Parliament has been adjourned until 18 December 2018. Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi welcomed on Saturday USs First Lady Melania Trump at Ittihadiya Presidential Palace, as she embarks on her first visit to Egypt as part of her Africa tour. In an official statement, Egyptian Presidency Spokesman Bassam Rady said El-Sisi expressed to Mrs Trump Egypts keeness on boosting and supporting the special strategic partnership between the two countries. The meeting was attended by the President's spouse, Entissar Amer El-Sisi, who had welcomed Mrs Trump at Cairo International Airport earlier today. Mrs Trump praised the reception and hospitality she has recieved in Egypt, expressing her appreciation and admiration of ancient Egyptian heritage and her respect for the friendship between the two nations. She also expressed her keeness on working on boosting cooperation across social domains, as an extension of the fruitful partnership between the two countries. The president discussed with Mrs Trump the government's efforts in developing the health, education, and tourism sectors, as well as paying attention to boosting womens roles in the community and protecting childrens rights. El-Sisi praised bilateral cooperation between the two countries, especially through the role of USAID in funding projects in the sectors of health, education and tourism in support of Egypts efforts toward economic and social reform to accomplish sustainable and comprehensive development. Before arriving in Egypt, Mrs Trump traveled to Kenya, Malawi and Ghana where she focused on promoting her signature issue of advocating for children with stops at a hospital, primary school, and an orphanage, Reuters reported. The US first lady tour to Africa has been part of her BE BEST initiative which focuses on improving the lives of children. BE BEST is a public awareness campaign promoted by Melania Trump, focusing on well-being for youth and advocating against cyberbullying and drug use, according to the BE BEST website. "The mission of BE BEST is to focus on some of the major issues facing children today, with the goal of encouraging children to BE BEST in their individual paths, while also teaching them the importance of social, emotional, and physical health. BE BEST will concentrate on three main pillars: well-being, social media use, and opioid abuse." The US first lady is expected to launch her initiative in Egypt in partnership with the USAID, according to Ahram Arabic news website. Search Keywords: Short link: International tourism in the Pacific has increased in a sustainable manner, with the 2017 statistics released by the World Tourism Organisation stating an increase of seven percent in 2017. This was highlighted by U.N.E.S.C.O. Director of Office and Representative to the Pacific States, Nisha, during the roundtable discussions at the Council of Tourism Ministers Meeting earlier this week. South Pacific Tourism Organisation C.E.O., Christopher Cocker, said this growth rate is good for the region. This is very fortunate, although tourism is booming in Fiji, but Fiji is able and has the capacity to cater for that. Some of the islands, on the other hand, are very vulnerable in terms of size and fragile in terms of culture, these are the ones that are of concern to us, Mr. Cocker said. He said educating the communities, pulling resources together and working with international partners will help increase peoples understanding on sustainable tourism. The challenge is sustainability because very little people know and understand about the issue, Ill give you an example, out of all the Pacific Islands only three have focused sustainable development plans, the rest are integrated into their national development plans. It means that those countries are conscious and concerned that they want to develop their destination in a sustainable manner, Mr. Cocker said. The new traveler, Mr. Cocker said, is more environmentally conscious. They will go and visit and stay in a place that is environmentally responsible, theyll pay for it even though how expensive it is. These travelers also want to look for a destination that is culturally rich and they are seeking for off-the-beaten destinations and as well as giving back to the community. So that fits very well into our Pacific Islands." We need to develop and prepare ourselves, and also maximise the opportunity because tourism changes, who knows what the next traveler wants. Mr. Cocker said while the region welcomes tourism, the focus is more on niche tourism. This is what we call high yield low impact. We are trying to avoid mass tourism, in this case like weve experienced and learned lessons from our neighbor such as Hawaii and also other mass tourism destination in the region and we should learn from it, and if we can benefit from tourism, develop it in a sustainable manner. He also said there is the need for non-government organisations and international and regional partners to work together and channel the initiative to the grassroots because this is where more tourism activity happens. Nisha said for tourism to be sustainable, it needs three pillars economic, social and environmental, which means tourism of today, should not compromise the ability of future generations to meet their own needs, enjoy their natural and historical resources. Sustainable tourism doesnt say tourism cannot be for masses, it can be for masses, but its about controlling the number, not preventing." What is the ecological sustainable number of visitors in a particular environment setting, for a particular heritage site, for a particular community because they have their own life, so it is about better regulation and better management. More than 40 women from the tourism and environment sector in Samoa and globally will gather in Apia next Tuesday to discuss the growing linkages between the two sectors. To be held at the Taumeasina Island Resort, the gathering is sponsored by the Women in Tourism International Alliance (W.I.T.IA.) and facilitated by the Women in Climate Change Network. The two organizations have come together to highlight the increasing threats of the impacts of climate change on the tourism sector from a gender perspective. South Pacific Tourism Organisation Manager of Sustainable Tourism Development Christina Gale is a key speaker with Director of W.I.T.I.A., Anne Isaacson also presenting remarks. We were pleased to receive an invitation from W.I.T.I.A. to network with members of our informal network, and this is an excellent opportunity in the backdrop of the Pacific Tourism Ministers Meeting to once again highlight issues relating to climate and tourism, said Lagipoiva Cherelle Jackson of W.I.C.C. in a press statement. As early onset events continue to increase in frequency such as cyclones, flooding and warmer temperatures, the tourism sector will have to be prepared at all levels to ensure that there is minimum interruption to their services, said the statement. Cyclone Gita was proof of the damage that climate induced disasters can have on our tourism sector, as seen with the extensive damage to one of Samoas largest resorts, the Sheraton, said Lagipoiva. From a gender perspective, its important that women who depend on the tourism sector are prepared and protected from the financial implications of disasters impacting their livelihood sources. W.I.C.C. was founded in Samoa in January 2018 by the Deputy Prime Minister of Samoa, Fiame Naomi Mataafa with 35 women leaders from across various sectors with an interest in environmental issues; it is the first network of its type globally. W.I.T.I.A. is a professional association focused on assisting women selling tourism services. Created by female travel professionals in Australia, U.S.A. and Canada, W.I.T.I.A. facilitates access to information, enhances business opportunities and provides a greater understanding of diverse cultures through interaction of members worldwide. Down by the seawall at Mulivai, there is a small bar youre probably familiar with called Cocktails on the Rocks. And perhaps, if youve been there in the past six months you will have noticed the once vacant kitchen at the back has been pumping out creative and healthy meals for lunch and dinner. As of this week, that kitchen has a new name: Phat Burger. Its power couple chefs believe it might be Samoas first and only gourmet burger bar, where you can find more than 15 different kinds of burgers on the one menu, including the Spongebob Squarepants inspired speciality. Kelly Walker and Kylie Stephen Fauchelle have worked in hospitality for 20 years, and Kylie even worked as a burger joint manager at some stage. Ive perfected the crabby pattie recipe, and its amazing, said Kylie laughing. When you order food at Phat Burger (previously Food on the Rocks), its a real kitchen to plate experience. Dont expect waitstaff to arrive at your table, just walk up to the kitchen window and tell Kelly or Kylie what you want. We love that interaction with our customers and that way we can make sure they get the best possible service, said Kylie. Kelly said the food is always good quality, but the idea is also to be accessible. We are not quite at the upper end, but we are also not quite four tala lunches, so hopefully we can reach both locals and tourists. For these chefs, using fresh local produce is important and they said they will shop around until they find what they need. We also get herbs delivered from Poutasi farm and local beef from Samoa Meat Supply, said Kylie. That makes a big difference, getting deliveries. But Phat Burger doesnt just get their ingredients delivered; they are also branching out into meal delivery themselves. One or two spontaneous catering requests led the two to think they could tap into the marketplace outside the restaurant doors and now they do lunch deliveries and function catering. Their tiny kitchen packs a big punch. Kelly thinks they can cater for up to 100 people in just a couple of hours, despite only having a couple of meters squared between them. Now that weve been in the space nearly half a year we are used to the space, and we are good in it, she said. Having their own kitchen in the space they rent from Cocktails on the Rocks means the two can make business decisions they are proud of. Well never do takeaways or deliveries in styrofoam, that stuff is so bad for the environment, she said. It probably costs us twice as much to buy cardboard boxes and paper bags, but its not worth it. Phat Burger is open from 11:30am-7pm at Cocktails on the Rocks, and is on Facebook. Outspoken Salega East Member of Parliament, Olo Fiti Vaai, has been called a pencil pusher who doesnt know anything about international airports. Thats Prime Minister Tuilaepa Dr. Sailele Malielegaois response to Olos criticisms of the Governments multi-million-tala Tiavea Airport. He was a pencil pusher, Tuilaepa said, that is what I recall of his position at the airport. Last week, Olo, a former Technical Manager at the Samoa Airport Authority, raised questions about the safety of the Tiavea Airport. He warned that lives would be at risk if the Government proceeds as planned. I have 18 years of experience and I understand very well how the specs of an airport should be, and where it should locate and Im telling you that space is very dangerous in terms of shear winds, he said. As you can see all our airports here, they are lying east to west and the reason being is because of the easterly winds that come from that way." I have never seen an airport that faces north to south, they are built facing east to west because it measures the landing and the taking off of the plane. But Tuilaepa rubbished Olos claims, saying he is talking nonsense. In justifying the Governments plan, Tuilaepa referenced two plane crashes in the past, which he said could have been avoided if there was an airport at Aleipata. The plane crashed due to bad weather, he said. Now if there was an airport in the area where the project is now underway, there wouldnt be any crash. History tends to repeat itself and this is why this project is vital. He also disputed the claim about the positioning of the runway. Airport runways do not necessarily need to lie east to west, Tuilaepa said. I have been all over the world and I have seen runways lying north to south. Where does he come up with all these terms when he is not an engineer by trade? Tuilaepa added that despite working for the Samoa Airport Authority in the past, Olo knows nothing about runaways. Does Olo know that the traditional honorific of Aleipata is the eye-of-the-storm (matamatagi). Only me would understand that. What that means is that the wind comes from all directions. The Prime Minister also justified the need for an airport at Tiavea, saying it is critical in terms of the Governments future plans. He said the market for travellers to and from American Samoa will only expand and the Government needs to be proactive in terms of preparations for it. But Olo is still not convinced. That is one of the foggiest locations I know, he said. Fagalii airport is okay but up there, especially in the evening, which means if we were to build an airport there a lot of people will lose their lives. Olo also reminded about another white elephant project at Aleipata which cost taxpayers millions of tala. This is just the same as the Satitoa Wharf, Olo said. I was the one who totally disagreed with the building of that wharf. But what happened Tuilaepa said I dont know anything and look at it now. Not even two years since that wharf was opened and its gone with the wind. Its a waste of more than $60million tala The National University of Samoas Centre for Samoan Studies had a first-hand look at how the ancient vaa alo (canoe) is used for fishing, in an impromptu demonstration. In a public presentation, N.U.S. artist in residence Ioane Ioane shared the vaa he built under the tutelage of a tufuga in Savaii, Mulitalo Malu Fautua. He explained how the building and carving of the ancient canoe, with no modern tools or artificial joins, taught him the essence of his own self. Ioane has been with N.U.S. for two months, travelling between Manono and Savaii to learn from two tufuga, the art of building vaaalo. With the floor open to questions or comments, Samoan Studies lecturer Matauiau Naumati Vasa explained that the root of the proverb Ua le o gatasi le futia ma le umele comes from vaa, like the one Ioane built. Its about working together, said Matauiau. The fishing rod has a hook at the bottom, called the futia, which must hook into the umele, or rope ring perfectly positioned to catch it. If the hook doesnt fit into that ring, the fishing rod will not be strong enough to raise the fish, he said. In English, the proverb can be translated as the hook and the ring do not go together, or the two parts are not working in cooperation with each other. But explaining the proverb was not quite enough with Matauiau getting into the vaa to demonstrate. Casting the fishing line back and forth, he showed the room full of visual art and Samoan studies students how the vaa is designed as a whole of separate parts. Ioane hasnt sailed his vaa yet. He said seeing Matauiau at the rod was wonderful. It was good to see him in there, so casually, I am grateful to him for that. Part of the project was to start a conversation about the ancient crafts so they arent lost, so I am grateful to him and his knowledge for being a part of that. Togialelei Dr. Safua Akeli Amaama is the director of the Centre of Samoan studies, and she said Matauiaus presence in the vaa added another layer to it. Seeing him inside gives us a sense of what the fishermen or women had to do in order to capture the fish. Sometimes these objects are not meant to be touched but to actually see Matauiau inside the vaaalo, it gives us a sense of space and dimension, said Togialelei. Togialelei said she hopes the next artists who come through N.U.S. will also focus on Samoan arts and crafts. She said the C.S.S. is drafting its own artist in residency program, to encourage local artists to produce work over two or three months. That will be open to filmmakers, crafts artists, poets, and we are looking forward to trying to encourage art because its such an important part of Samoan society. As we heard today, the expressions associated with these, the rituals associated with them, they are important objects, said Togialelei. Ioane travels back to his home in Christchurch, New Zealand this weekend and will take his vaa with him, but he hopes to return shortly to continue learning the art of the seven types of vaa. Not so long ago, manipulating living cells to serve as therapies was a difficult and mysterious art. Only a few biomedical companies and academic labs could claim proficiency. But in recent years, theres been an explosion of knowledge about how cells work, how they can become diseased and how they can be cured. Three groundbreaking cell and gene therapy products have been approved since 2017; two for relapsing blood cancers, and one for a genetic disease that leads to blindness. This transformation attracted nearly 70 presenting companies to La Jolla for this years Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa, an annual conference in the field. These treatments are now costly and performed for a small number of patients. But scaling up this artisanal industry through mass production is expected to reduce costs and bring the benefits to many more people. Advertisement To prepare for this wave of cell therapies, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has been updating its standards for assessing therapies, standards developed for pills and injections of drugs, not of living cells. Its the nature of this whole meeting that the process of characterizing something as squishy and variable as human biology, packaging it and heading toward the clinic, is cutting-edge for the FDA, said Taylor Crouch, CEO of San Diegos Organovo. Organovo made a name for itself by selling bioprinted human liver cells for toxicology screening of potential drugs. The San Diego company is preparing to take its technology to patients with end-stage liver disease, Crouch said. The company collects cells from donor livers, and prints them with a device that arrays the cells into a three-dimensional form, with various cells that support each other, Crouch said. Transplanted liver cells could supplement function of a diseased liver until a donor liver can be found or perhaps even help the patients own liver recover, Crouch said. The company plans to file in 2020 to begin clinical testing, Crouch said. Another presenting company, Athersys, is in late-stage or Phase 3 clinical testing of its cell therapy for strokes caused by blood clots. The product, called MultiStem, consists of cells taken from a donors bone marrow, grown in the lab and frozen. When needed, they are thawed and then infused into a patient, said Gil Van Bokkelen, chairman and CEO of the Cleveland-based company. MultiStem consists of a class of cells that reproduce prolifically in the lab, so the cells from one donor can yield millions of clinical doses, he said. These cells reduce inflammation, promote regeneration, and are tolerated by the patients immune system, Van Bokkelen said. We can administer them just like Type O blood, he said. San Diegos ViaCyte is clinically testing a cell therapy for type 1 diabetes. The San Diego companys product replaces insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells, which are destroyed in the disease. ViaCyte turns embryonic stem cells into precursors of these beta cells. These cells are then encapsulated in a device that is implanted into patients. The company is testing two variants of this approach. Early human testing of one approach, using cells shielded by a semi-permeable membrane, hit a roadblock when the devices caused growth of fibrous tissue. This blocked diffusion of insulin into the patient. Testing has been suspended while ViaCyte reworks the encapsulating material, with help from W.L. Gore & Associates, the makers of Gore-Tex. That trial is expected to be restarted next year once approval is granted, said Paul Laikind, ViaCytes CEO. Meanwhile, ViaCyte has advanced development of a somewhat different device, which allows direct contact between the cells and patient tissue. This risks an immune reaction, so patients receiving the devices must take immune-suppressing drugs. So far, side effects have been like those expected from taking immune-suppressing drugs, and appear controllable, Laikind said. But its too early to know if the cells can produce therapeutic quantities of insulin. Patients and others looking for more information on clinical trials from these companies can search for the name of the company on www.clinicaltrials.gov. Science Playlist On Now In a first, scientists rid human embryos of a potentially fatal gene mutation by editing their DNA On Now Space station flyovers visible from San Diego this week 0:55 On Now UCSD's 'ghost drivers' begin testing people's reaction seemingly empty cars 1:29 On Now 10 interesting facts about Mars On Now Kids can add years to your life On Now LA 90: SpaceX launches recycled rocket On Now Big passions, big giving: Malin Burnham 2:30 On Now Big passions, big giving: Darlene Shiley 2:40 On Now Big passions, big giving: Joan and Irwin Jacobs 2:45 On Now Ocean temperatures warming at rapid rate, study finds bradley.fikes@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-1020 The 128-room Moxy, a hip boutique hotel that will have a decided millennial vibe, is due to open next month in downtown San Diegos East Village. Located just outside the Gaslamp Quarter on the east side of Sixth Avenue between E and F streets, the eight-story hotel represents the first California property to carry Marriott Internationals now 2-year-old Moxy brand. Now and Wow is how the lodging behemoth characterizes its latest millennial-focused concept. How millennial-focused is it? Unlike most hotels, you wont be checking in at the front desk. Youll head straight to the bar for a libation and entry to your room. The entire lobby is oriented all around social space, its very fun and you literally check in at the bar. so thats one way how (the hotel operation) can be lean, said Rick Mansur, founder of Azul Hospitality Group, which will be managing the hotel. Its almost like a European proprietor model, you come in, get a drink and check in. Advertisement Its the first brand catering to the 20-and 30-year-olds and those who are 20 and 30 at heart. In preparation for the expected opening in early November, the hotel will be holding a job fair on Saturday, Oct. 13 at noon at The Nolan (453 Sixth Ave.). The hotel is looking to hire about 50 people, from room attendants and engineers to food and beverage personnel. Developed by San Diego-based J Street Hospitality, the eight-story Moxy occupies a site that was once a surface parking lot. Meant to feel contemporary in design, the hotel will feature an open lobby with multiple communal spaces for lounging, plus large writing walls and 56-inch televisions. Rendering of Moxy lobby (Courtesy of Moxy hotel) A whimsical, custom-made LED lighting fixture will span the lobby ceiling. The lobby will also include a video wall, and grab-and-go food and beverage options will be available throughout the day. The limited service hotel, though, will not have a traditional, three-meal-a-day restaurant. According to a report prepared for the project when it was going through the approval process, the development is supposed to provide 38 parking spaces in the building basement accessed by a car elevator. Its unknown how much J Street Hospitality is spending on the downtown project. The developer did not respond to phone inquiries on Friday. Mansur would not say specifically what room rates would be but said the nightly rates will be typical of what one would expect at a mid-level priced hotel. Marriott says Moxy hotels will have an affordable price point. Business lori.weisberg@sduniontribune.com (619) 293-2251 Twitter: @loriweisberg A developer hoping to build nearly 700 homes on Oceanside farmland has contributed almost $500,000 to the effort to defeat an agriculture preservation measure on the Nov. 6 ballot, disclosure forms show. Meanwhile, proponents of Measure Y, led by the nonprofit group Save Open space and Agricultural Resources, or SOAR, have raised less than $20,000, according to statements filed with the Oceanside city clerks office. This is truly a David vs. Goliath scenario, said Oceanside resident Nadine Scott, a Measure Y supporter. Integral Communities, the developer of the North River Farms project proposed for South Morro Hills, is playing the role of Goliath. Integral has built thousands of apartments and single-family homes throughout California. Advertisement If passed by a majority of Oceanside voters, Measure Y would require any proposed zone change on land now designated for agriculture or open space to go on a citywide ballot. That could create a large hurdle for projects like North River Farms, which could go to the City Council for initial approvals by the end of this year. Supporters of the measure gathered 13,000 signatures to place it on the ballot last year. Their effort came in response to the possibility that the City Council could support the North River Farms project, which outlines plans for 789 homes, a hotel and commercial space on 177 acres in the agricultural area of northeastern Oceanside. Both the campaigns for and against Measure Y say they would protect the citys remaining farmland, and each side accuses the other of misrepresenting the facts. Their misleading ads are popping up all over social media and websites, Scott said. People are starting to get mad about that for good reason. Integral project manager Ninia Hammond said Monday it is the Measure Y proponents who are misleading. North River Farms has continued to be the target of a deceptive marketing campaign, Hammond said by email. We simply want North River Farms to be honestly considered on its own merits. Having been in the planning process for years,the proposed community is carefully conceived to be a farm hub that can serve as a catalyst to help achieve the vision for agritourism and sustain the long-term viability of farming in Oceanside. Integral and the two large farming families opposed to Measure Y say they are unlikely allies forged by circumstance. The local farmers lack the resources to defend themselves without support from businesses invested in the community that share their opposition to selfish ballot box planning, Hammond said. We share a common interest to defeat this measure and are willing to provide funds necessary to help the farmers battle. Neil Nagata, a third-generation Oceanside farmer, has said repeatedly that hes willing to take money from developers to stay in the farming business. There is no commitment to the development project, Nagata said in a Sept. 6 forum on cable television station KOCT. We are trying to stay in business We need every angle and everything that we can do to sustain ourselves. I understand that there could be a feeling that we are in bed with (Integral) and that we want them to develop our land, but thats not the case, said Michelle Castellano-Keeler, vice president of Mellano & Company Farms, at the forum. Like the Nagatas, the Mellano family has farmed in Oceanside for generations. We were shocked at what (the campaign for) a measure like this costs, and so we had to accept money from people to get our word out, Castellano-Keeler said. Measure Y supporters say the developers money shows the farmers true intentions. The $475,000 contribution by Integral, together with the $10,000 contribution from the (San Diego County Building Industry Association), makes it clear that the two large landowners want to change the zoning on their land so they can sell it to developers of high-density residential/commercial projects, SOAR founder Dennis Martinek said Monday.by email. North River Farms, based in Newport Beach, also contributed employee-compensated time worth $3,705 in August, according to the disclosure statements. The North River Farms property is owned by the Self-Realization Fellowship Church, which farmed tomatoes and other crops on the land for years. The church also contributed $10,000 to the No on Y campaign, documents show. Other contributors to the No on Y campaign include several members of the Nagata family, mostly in individual donations of $100 each, and a total of $450 so far this year from Oceanside Planning Commission member and South Morro Hills resident Louise Balma. The No on Y campaign had raised $525,747.97 and spent $656,518.04 for the calendar year through Sept. 22, according to the latest campaign disclosure statement on file. The Yes on Y campaign had raised $17,637.81 and spent $19,130.60 in the same time frame, the documents state. Donations to the Yes on Y campaign include $2,000 from the nonprofit North County Advocates, which is the largest single contribution, also $500 each from the League of Women Voters and the Sierra Club, and contributions of $100 to $1,000 each from various Oceanside, Fallbrook and Bonsall residents. philip.diehl@sduniontribune.com Twitter: @phildiehl Coronados beach is routinely ranked among the best in the country. Celebrities and heads of state vacation at its famous hotel. Prince Harry drank beers in the local Irish pub. And Tom Cruise is currently filming the Top Gun sequel there. Each year, thousands of tourists and day-trippers drive over the 2-mile-long Coronado Bridge from San Diego to enjoy the islands shoreline, dine at the historic Hotel del and browse the shops on Orange Avenue. But apparently locals are tiring of the increasing number of tourists who they say are having a negative impact on the citys quality of life. That rising anti-tourist sentiment has surfaced as a campaign issue in Coronado. Perhaps, City Council candidates say, its time to reinstate a bridge toll. Its an idea thats been bandied about over the years for a variety of reasons, most recently as a way to pay for a proposed bike and pedestrian path. Its seldom looked at as a device to discourage tourism. Advertisement Derik Mundt, who is running on a Residents First, Residents Only campaign, praised tourists fiscal contributions through hotel taxes, but has a problem with people crossing the bridge and enjoying Coronado without paying for it. Its ok to have hotels; the hotels make money that support our city, he said. What is not ok is having day-trippers come over here and use our resources and not give anything back to us. Coronado had a $1 bridge toll until 2002. The city explored bringing back the toll in 2015, but nothing materialized. Because the city has so many attractions that it basically is an amusement park, it makes sense to charge admission, said Daron Case, another council candidate. Its Disneyland and I think we might want to look into charging, he said. Bring back the (bridge) toll. Tourists contribute more than $14 million in hotel tax revenues a year more than a quarter of Coronados general fund. They also help seasonal businesses survive the winter lull and account for a large portion of the citys $3 million sales tax revenue, which comes mostly from restaurants and bars. While locals appreciate tourists financial benefits, they arent exactly fond of the crowds, traffic and parking congestion that comes with it. For our bands at Concert in the Park, they bring 800 groupies with them, candidate Mary Sikes said at a recent forum. We can get great bands who are dying for a chance to get known and we can cut the head count at Concert in the Park with just simple things like that. Mundt said the city can kill two birds summer traffic and large crowds with one stone by getting the Coronado Police Department to write more tickets during the peak-season, he added. I dont know if we need more police officers, but in the summer we need to step up enforcement, he said. I think that would solve some of the problem. Coronado collected about $260,000 from vehicle code and parking fines, and $361,000 from parking meter collection during the 2017-18 fiscal year, according to the city budget. Anti-tourist sentiment also runs outside of the political arena in Coronado. Locals commonly refer to summer tourists as Zonies because a lot of them come from Arizona. Earlier this year, the city celebrated an end-of-summer party on Sept. 21, which coincided with the citys 92118 zip code. Part of the events draw is that it was after the end of the summer tourist season. The official website had a not-so-subtle message about the intended audience: Who is invited? Residents of Coronado, CA (this will not be monitored, but target audience will be Coronado residents). This isnt the first time managing tourism has become a campaign issue in Coronado. In 2016, residents complained about traffic and congestion to the City Council who in turned complained to Discover Coronado, a hotel-funded tourism district that promotes Coronado as a tourist destination. Prompted by complaints, Discover Coronado shifted its marketing strategy by focusing its attention on convention guests instead of leisure tourists. There has been no marketing of Coronado in San Diego since February 2016, said Discover Coronados president Todd Little. And thats been a good thing, he said. Convention guests pay higher room rates, visit during the off-season, normally dont bring cars, and tend to spend more money in restaurants because they are CEOs and executives. It has actually increased hotel tax revenues while decreasing congestion, Little said. I think it was a smart decision, we were happy to do it, Little said. But Little said a bridge toll would be disastrous for local businesses and he dismissed the proposal as campaign rhetoric. Bill Sandke, the lone incumbent in the race, supports mitigating the negative impacts of tourism but he took issue with the anti-tourist rhetoric on the campaign trail. Its very troubling to hear people say, We dont want you in Coronado, whoever you are, he said. While on the council, Sandke has looked at bringing back the bridge toll to mitigate traffic on Third and Fourth streets. He said a study suggested tolls could be $4 generally and about $6.50 during peak hours to incentivize less traffic, Sandke said. But any move to charge tolls would require buy-in from alot of stakeholders. Mayor Richard Bailey called the bridge a bureaucratic nightmare because of all the state, regional and local agencies involved in managing the bridge. Bailey said Coronados natural beauty and attractions are a double-edged sword because they makes it a great place to live and attract tourists. The key to managing tourism, he said, is finding the right balance between quality of life concerns and hosting visitors. Contact Gustavo Solis via Email or Twitter She will stand tall, with a torch held high, on a hilltop in San Ysidro, overlooking the U.S.-Mexico border region. Inspired by the Statue of Liberty, the 40-foot-tall monument of Mary, mother of Jesus, will stand as a symbol intended to welcome immigrants and refugees headed to the U.S. The statue will go up on the hilltop parking lot of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, where community members convened Friday to kick off a crowdfunding campaign to raise $1 million to build the monument. Inspired by the Statue of Liberty, the 40-foot-tall monument of Mary, mother of Jesus, will stand as a symbol intended to welcome immigrants and refugees headed to the U.S. Advertisement It will stand as a beacon of hope and encouragement for people engaged in the struggle of the migrant, said artist Jim Bliesner, who drew inspiration from immigrants across San Diego for the statues design. The $2 million project, spearheaded by nonprofit San Diego Organizing Project, already has received $1 million from the California Endowment, a private health foundation. The hope is to raise the next $1 million and build the statue by early 2019. Rendering of the Welcome the Stranger, a monument of Mary inspired by the Statue of Liberty. (Michael Ojeda) It will be named Welcome the Stranger. Bishop Robert McElroy, of the Roman Catholic Diocese of San Diego, said the monument and its location will send a strong message about the border. It is a symbol and powerful reminder that for us, for us as people of faith, for us as America, the border represents not a line of separation, he said, but a line that unites us to Latin America. He said the statue will commemorate the past, the present and the future of the U.S. First, he said, it will be a reminder that the U.S. is a nation of immigrants who contributed to help build America. That gets lost in the current conversation so easily, he said. The statue also will represent hope for a brighter future for the waves of immigrants and refuges who one day will begin what McElroy described as an arduous journey to the U.S. The idea of the sculpture surfaced roughly a year ago. It was designed by Bliesner with input from community members who attended workshops, where they shared their ideas and personal stories. Most of the inspiration came from listening to members of the congregation and the community about how emotional this subject is. People were crying, people were telling their stories, Bliesner said. I couldnt help but take that away as the primary element in creating the piece. As ideas were generated, Mary emerged as a symbol of hope. Community members noted she fled with her family to Egypt as a refugee soon after the birth of Jesus. The statue incorporates several symbolic elements. The turgid, severe geometry of Marys robe, which has several perforations, represents the difficult trek immigrants embark on, while spots of color in the folds of her robe symbolize moments of kindness in their journeys, Bliesner said. The torch, he said, represents hope for a brighter future. LEED lighting within the statue will illuminate it at night. Seating and drought-tolerant landscaping will surround the base. As part of the fundraising campaigns kickoff, community members tied ribbons to a makeshift fence at the site where the statue will stand. The pink, orange, green and yellow ribbons had written on them the names of loved ones affected by the countrys immigration policies, including relatives who were deported or who are living in the U.S. illegally. San Ysidro resident Maria Elena Esquer, a parishioner at Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church, wrote the names of her two adult sons who live in Tijuana and are awaiting visas to visit her. I have a lot of faith they will come, she said. Carolina Ulloa wrote the names of her brother, who was deported 15 years ago, and her sister, who was deported 10 years ago. She, too, said she hasnt lost faith her siblings will be able to return to the U.S. For more information about the statue, visit welcomethestranger.us. Email: david.hernandez@sduniontribune.com Phone: (619) 293-1876 Twitter: @D4VIDHernandez Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdom's main sovereign wealth fund (PIF) will surpass its target of increasing its assets to $600 billion by 2020, as part of a plan to reduce the economy's dependence on oil. "We are now above $300 billion, were getting close to $400 billion. Our target in 2020 is around $600 billion. I believe we will surpass that target in 2020," the prince said in a Bloomberg interview published on Friday. He added that the fund, with more than 50 percent of its investments located in Saudi Arabia, will be investing in more places next year. The fund would invest another $45 billion in Softbank Vision fund, the worlds largest private equity fund, backed by Japans Softbank Group and the PIF, which invests in technology sectors such as artificial intelligence and robotics. "We have a huge benefit from the first one. We would not put, as PIF, another $45 billion if we didnt see huge income in the first year with the first $45 billion," the prince said. Locally, one of the biggest investments for the PIF is a planned $500 billion business and industrial zone called NEOM extending into Jordan and Egypt, announced in October 2017. Prince Mohammed said the first town in NEOM will be ready in 2019 or 2020, with the entire site completed by 2025. Privatisation The Crown Prince said his country will privatise more than 20 companies in 2019, helping the government's strategy of diversifying away from oil exports. In 2019, we will have more than 20 services that will be privatised, most of them in water, agriculture, energy and some of it in sports, the prince said in an interview with Bloomberg published on Friday. In April, the Saudi government said it aims to generate 35 billion to 40 billion riyals ($9 billion to $11 billion) in non-oil revenues from its privatisation program by 2020 and create up to 12,000 jobs. The privatisation initiative targets 14 public-private partnership (PPP) investments worth 24 billion to 28 billion riyals. It includes the corporatization of Saudi ports and the privatization of the production sector at the Saudi Saline Water Conversion Corp (SWCC) and the Ras Al Khair desalination and power plant, according to official document published in April. The prince said unemployment, which now stands at a record level near 13 percent is part of the side effects of restructuring the economy. He added that the kingdom's economy today was much more powerful, with 2019 budget planned to exceed one trillion riyals ($267 billion) for the first time, and with non-oil revenue rising by 300 percent "I believe the unemployment rate will start to decline from 2019 until we reach 7.0 percent in 2030 as targeted," he said. Search Keywords: Short link: Claude Alexander Rowe Jr. of Chula Vista, who served in the armed forces of two allied nations during World War II, was laid to rest Friday at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery in San Diego with full military honors, including a gun salute and a missing man formation flyby of WWII-era fighters. Rowe died on Sept. 20 at age 97. He was born in Detroit on July 7, 1921. He was a student at the Lawrence Institute of Technology during World War II and left college during his second year to serve his country as a pilot. Because Rowe was black, he was not eligible to fly in the Army Air Corps. Instead, he went north, to the Royal Canadian Air Force, where he earned his wings in 1944. In September 1945, Rowe came back to the U.S. and joined the Army, this time as part of the Tuskegee Airmen Experiment, a segregated unit. He earned his wings in June 1946 and flew bombers such as the WB-50 and B-29. Advertisement Rowe talked about his experience in the segregated military in a 2009 community essay in The San Diego Union-Tribune. It was routine to be separated, and although the discrimination was uncomfortable, we were too determined to let that stop us, Rowe wrote. We were not just fighting for our country, we were fighting for our dreams, and we were willing to give our lives for it. Rowe stayed on as the Air Corps transitioned into the Air Force, eventually becoming a weather officer. He retired in 1966 as a captain. 1 / 14 Members of the March Air Force Base Honor Guard hold an American flag over the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen during his funeral service at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 2 / 14 Retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 3 / 14 A member of the Patriot Guard Riders holds his hand on the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen during his funeral at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 4 / 14 Winifride Rowe, left, the wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe is comforted by their daughter, Dorothy Rowe as they say their final goodbye at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 5 / 14 Winifride Rowe, the wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., holds the American flag that draped his casket at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 6 / 14 Members of the March Air Force Base Honor Guard hold an American flag over the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen during his funeral service at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 7 / 14 The coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen arrives at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 8 / 14 Dorothy Rowe, left, and her mother, Winifride Rowe, right, the daughter and wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., hold the American flag that draped Rowes coffin at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 9 / 14 Winifride Rowe, left, the wife of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., is presented the American flag that draped her husbands casket, by a member of the March Air Force Base Honor Guard, right, at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the famed Tuskegee Airmen to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 10 / 14 The coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen arrives at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 11 / 14 The horse drawn funeral carriage with the coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen arrives at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 12 / 14 Bagpipes were played during the funeral at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen. Rowe died on September 20th, at 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 13 / 14 The coffin of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen is removed from the horse drawn funeral carriage at Fort Rosecrans NationalCemetery by members of the March Air Air Force Base Honor Guard. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) 14 / 14 A missing man formation flies over the funeral of retired Air Force Captain Claude A. Rowe, Jr., a member of the famed World War II Tuskeege Airmen at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery. Rowe, who died on September 20th, was 97-years-old and the only member of the group to have flown for both the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Army Air Corps/U.S Air Force. (Howard Lipin / The San Diego-Union-Tribune) The Air Force gave Rowe the opportunity to travel extensively, serving in post-war Germany, Japan, Korea and England. In England, he met his wife of 67 years, the former Winifride Swinnerton. They went on to have eight children. After retirement, Rowe went into banking, eventually becoming a bank manager and vice president in Michigan. It was when one of his daughters, Dorothy, joined the Navy that the Rowes relocated to San Diego in 1975. Rowe, who was retired at the time, visited to help Dorothy settle in. We lived in Portage, Michigan, and when I graduated from high school I wanted to leave, Dorothy Rowe said. So I took off and joined the Navy. When he saw (San Diego), he said, Oh, I love this place. So he flew back home and told my mom to put the house up for sale. It was like the Beverly Hillbillies driving out to San Diego. Marlene Marien, Rowes eldest daughter, said her dad was a fantastic cook. One of my fondest memories from childhood, I always looked forward to Sunday dinners, because that was when my dad cooked, she said. To this day, his fried chicken was the only fried chicken I would eat. Marien said she wanted people to know her father was a man of character. No matter what negative treatment he received throughout his life as one of the first black pilots, he never held any malice in his heart, Marien said. He always held his head up high and he never let anyones opinion of him change his opinion of himself. He was a very, very honorable man. Marien remembered one incident when her parents were driving cross-country. They stopped to get gas, she said, and the lady gave him the wrong change. He realized it after hed driven about 50 miles, so he drove the 50 miles all the way back to return the change because he didnt want her to get in trouble. Dorothy Rowe said her father left an impression on everyone he met. (He was) just a wonderful person, anyone who came into his life felt blessed, she said. Everybody just adored him. She said her father was an exceptional grandfather as well, and took on the tasks some of her siblings were wary of, such as teaching their kids to drive. He took care of all his grandkids and taught them how to drive, she said. I was afraid, but my dad didnt mind taking them out. Erica Kimble, Dorothy Rowes daughter, said her grandfather was more like a father to her. He would watch us all the time after school, she said. When we were little, hed do our hair in the morning...since our dad wasnt around. Not only did he raise all of his eight kids, he raised most of his 18 grandkids, Dorothy Rowe said. Rowes burial service Friday included an escort and honors by the Patriot Guard and a horse-drawn carriage. Representatives from the Royal Canadian Legion also attended, as well as Nelson Robinson, who is also a Tuskegee Airmen veteran. California State Sen. Joel Anderson was in attendance and spoke briefly about the historical significance of the men who joined the then-segregated U.S. military to serve during World War II. The men who met the call to become Tuskegee Airmen were the best our nation had to offer, he said. Contact Andrew Dyer via email or Twitter. October 6, 1892 The San Diego Union The San Diego Union-Tribune will mark its 150th anniversary in 2018 by presenting a significant front page from the archives each day throughout the year. Thursday, October 6, 1892 In 1892 it was front page news when the notorious Dalton Gang was gunned down while attempting to rob a pair of banks in Kansas. One Dalton brother, Emmett, was shot 23 times during the raid, but survived and spent 14 years in prison for robbery. After being pardoned in 1907, Emmett Dalton moved to California, where he advocated for prison reform, dealt in real estate and played himself in the movie version of his book, Beyond the Law. Here are the first few paragraphs of the story: EXTERMINATED. The Dalton Gang Wiped Off the Face of the Earth. Three of the boys Fulfil Their Fate and Die With Their Boots On. A companion Episode to the Northfield, Minn., Raid. Coffeyville, Kansas, the Scene of the KillingFour of the Citizens of That City Also Shot. COFFEYVILLE, Kan., Oct. 5 The Dalton gang has been exterminated; wiped off the face of the earth. Caught like rats in a trap, they were today shot down, but not until four citizens of this place yielded up their lives in the work of extermination. Six of the gang rode into town this morning and robbed two of the banks of this place. Their raid had become known to the officers of the law, and when the bandits attempted to escape the were attacked by the marshals posse. In the battle which ensued four of the deperadoes were killed outright and one so badly wounded that he has since died. The other escaped but is being hotly pursued. Of the attacking party four were killed, one fatally and two seriously wounded. The dead are: BOB DALTON, desperado. GRATTON DALTON, desperado. EMMETT DALTON, desperado. JOSEPH EVANS, desperado. JOHN MOORE, Texas Jack, desperado. T. C. CONNELLY, city marshal. L. M. BALDWIN, bank clerk. G. W. CUBINE, merchant. C.J. BROWN, shoemaker. The wounded are: THOMAS G. AYERS, cashier of the First National bank, shot through the groin and cannot live. T. A. REYNOLDS, wounded in the right breast. LAIS DETZ, shot in the right side. THEIR VISIT EXPECTED. It was rumored a month ago that the Dalton gang contemplated a raid upon the banks of the city. Arrangements were made to give them a warm reception, but the excitement finally died away and the street patrol was given up. RODE IN BY DAYLIGHT About 10 o'clock this morning the gang rode into town. Thy came in two squads of three each, and passing through unfrequented streets rendezvoused in an alley in the rear of the First National bank. A DIVISION OF FORCES Robert Dalton, the notorious leader, and Emmett, his brother, went to the First National bank. The other four, under the leadership of Texas Jack, or John Moore, going to the private bank of C. M. Congdon & Co. In the meantime an alarm was give. The Dalton brothers were born and bred in this city and had been recognized. City Marshal Connelly was quickly notified and began collecting a posse. View anniversary front pages online at sandiegouniontribune.com/150-years. For more from the Union-Tribune digital archives, go to newslibrary.com/sites/sdub. Searching is free, with registration. A fee is required to view full stories. For decades, Los Angeles city candidates who wanted to tap into public money for their campaigns have had to agree to debate their opponents. But actually participating in a debate has never been required, according to the Ethics Commission. Ethics Commission staffers said they feared that a candidate could lose out on the matching funds because a rival refused to debate them. That public money is provided by the city to qualifying candidates to help offset the influence of wealthy donors. Now, under a revised rule backed by the City Council on Friday, city officials say candidates who get matching funds would have to take part in either a debate or a town hall meeting where they face questions from the public. Advertisement Ethics Commission staffers said that would require candidates to engage with voters and share their views, while giving them another way to follow the rules if they couldnt get their opponents to debate. The California Clean Money Campaign, the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles and Unrig L.A., among other groups, had urged the city to require candidates getting the money to actually participate in an event where voters could learn what they stand for, whether it was a debate or a town hall, so that candidates dont skirt this important civic responsibility. But Studio City Neighborhood Council member Eric Preven, who ran against Councilman Paul Krekorian three years ago, argued that allowing a town hall rather than a debate would leave too much wiggle room for incumbents to avoid getting on a stage with their challengers. Preven complained that Krekorian received $44,000 in matching funds when he ran, yet never debated him. He said he had reached out to a Krekorian aide who was assisting with the campaign to try to arrange a debate, but nothing came of it. He later emailed Krekorian himself the day before the election, inviting him to join him at a campaign event that afternoon. Krekorian spokesman Ian Thompson said that it isnt custom in any election for one candidate to directly set up a debate with the other. Instead, outside groups usually set up debates, Thompson said, but none of them ultimately did. Under the old rules, candidates met the debate requirement as long as they signed a form pledging to participate in debates, regardless of whether one occurred, according to Nancy Jackson, director of strategic communications for the Ethics Commission. The new ordinance says candidates must now provide the date they participated in a debate or a town hall meeting, along with a copy of the invitation or event announcement, in order to claim the money. David Tristan, the commissions deputy executive director, said candidates would get the money only after participating in such an event. Carolina Goodman, a member of the League of Women Voters of Los Angeles, said she was worried that the new law still might not have any teeth. Goodman also challenged whether the city definition of a town hall was strict enough to ensure that such an event didnt devolve into a campaign rally. The City Council also voted Friday to draft new rules that would sharply accelerate the rate at which candidates can receive taxpayer money to match their campaign donations. The new rules would make the system simpler and more generous. They also moved to halve the number of donations from district residents that candidates need to get before qualifying for matching funds. Council members touted those changes as a way to help level the playing field for grass-roots candidates. Under the existing system for getting matching funds, it turns out that most of the people that benefited were City Council members who already have an advantage in raising funds and other well-funded candidates, Councilman Paul Koretz said, calling the proposed changes a no-brainer. However, council candidates would still not qualify for matching funds until they had raised a minimum of $25,000 that meets a complicated set of requirements. Several groups warned Friday that reaching that threshold would become even harder because the city is poised to slash the amount of each donation that counts toward the target, reducing it from $250 to roughly $115 for council candidates. In reaction, Councilman Mike Bonin suggested lowering the minimum to roughly $11,500 in council races a target that could be reached with 100 donations from city residents. The California Clean Money Campaign and other groups said they hoped that change, which was referred to a committee for more discussion, would be included when the new regulations come back to the council for a final vote. If this is a city for the many, not just the money, I hope you will vote for it and show that, said Rob Quan, an organizer with the Unrig L.A. coalition. emily.alpert@latimes.com Twitter: @AlpertReyes Of all the monsters that have risen from the toxic swamp of the Brett M. Kavanaugh Supreme Court confirmation drama the Partisan Posturer, the Tear-Stained Table-Pounder, Sen. Lindsey Grahams Wagging Finger one of the scariest is the looming, yowling specter of the Victimized Male. Driven out of his cave by Christine Blasey Fords allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her while they were in high school, the Victimized Male has been very busy of late. He appeared when U.S. Senate candidate Chris McDaniel of Mississippi said during a radio interview that allegations like Fords are absolutely fabricated 99 percent of the time. The Man Under Siege narrative popped up again during Donald Trump Jr.s recent interview with DailyMailTV, in which he said that in this current environment, he was more worried about his sons than he was about his daughters. Advertisement But the grandest appearance of all came Tuesday, when President Donald Trump told reporters, Its a very scary time for young men in America, where you can be guilty of something you may not be guilty of. That night, the president mocked Ford during a rally in Mississippi. In other words, the young men in America should be very, very afraid of the many women who cant wait to jump out of the bushes and falsely accuse them of rape or sexual assault. Because apparently, thats what women do. In fact, it is something women rarely do. False rape claims do happen. Depending on the source, the national percentage for false allegations of rape ranges from 2 percent to 10 percent. According to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Forensic Psychology, 5.55 percent of rape allegations were found to be false or baseless. That was higher than the rate of false murder allegations 3.3 percent but lower than the rate of false robbery allegations, at 5.78 percent. It is only a dangerous time if you refuse to acknowledge the equality of the person you are dealing with, said Richard Gates, a chief deputy public defender for San Diego County. I dont believe men are in danger. I dont think any woman is looking to hurt any guy who has not gone out of his way to somehow traumatize her. The numbers do not support the Victimized Males vision of a world in which women are ruining mens lives with false accusations of rape or sexual assault. What the numbers do support is the everyday nightmare where a woman is raped or assaulted and never reports it. That is something that sexual assault victims do all the time. Its not that false allegations dont happen, but it is a small percentage, said Verna Griffin-Tabor, CEO and executive director for the Center for Community Solutions, the only rape-crisis center for the city of San Diego. What is playing out now nationally is what survivors locally have faced. They are being scrutinized and questioned when they are not the person doing the harm. With rape and domestic violence, we tend to blame the victim, which silences them and leads them to feel ashamed. According to the National Sexual Violence Resource Center, rape is the most under-reported crime. One in five women and one in 71 men will be raped at some point in their lives, but 63 percent of sexual assaults are not reported to the police. So in addition to being factually flawed, the Victimized Male narrative is insulting and hurtful to the real victims. By perpetuating the idea that rape is the product of the vindictive, hysterical, unreliable female brain, the Victimized Male trope gives women yet another reason to keep their experiences under wraps. The last two weeks have been really, really hard, said Diana, who was raped outside a Hollywood nightclub in 2009. She came to San Diego in August to attend the second Sunlight Retreat for Rape Survivors, a healing experience that came at a good time. The knowledge that survivors are vilified and not being protected is really so disheartening. It just feels like we dont have an ally anywhere. People should be against this happening. Rape is not a womens issue. This is happening to boys and girls and men. I dont think people understand the trauma of this. There is a death of the soul when this happens. I rebuilt my life and I figured out a new way to live, but it is awful. Men do not need to live in fear of women wielding the pitchfork of the false rape allegation. But all of us need to worry about a world where boys grow into men who dont know how to treat women with respect and girls who grow up thinking they dont deserve to be respected. That is one of the scariest scenarios of all, but it doesnt have to stay scary. We need to be having conversations with our kids about what healthy boundaries are and when no means no, Tabor said. We need to talk about consent, and how there is no consent when somebody is passed out, and there is no consent when youre trying to get someone drunk so you can have sex with them. We need to give young people the language to have a healthy conversation. Lets not come from a place of fear. Lets come from a place of facts. There is every reason to hope that going forward, we can prevent this type of violence. The number for the Center for Community Solutions sexual violence hotline is: 1-888-385-4657. Twitter: @karla_peterson karla.peterson@sduniontribune.com About 100 homeless veterans in San Diego County will receive vouchers for subsidized housing through $1.1 million in funds released this week from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. The money will fund 50 housing vouchers administered by the city of San Diego Housing Commission and 50 vouchers administered by the San Diego County Housing Authority. The new vouchers are in addition to 1,031 vouchers already in use to subsidize housing for San Diego veterans countywide. We have few responsibilities greater than making sure those who have sacrificed so much in service to their country have a home they can call their own, HUD Secretary Ben Carson said in a statement Thursday. Advertisement The housing vouchers awarded today ensure homeless veterans nationwide have access to affordable housing and the critical support services from the VA, Carson said. Nationwide, $35.3 million has been released to fund 4,077 Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing vouchers. Of that, $18.3 million is going to California for 1,658 vouchers. The rental assistance announced Thursday is provided through the HUD-VASH Program, which combines rental assistance from HUD with case management and clinical services provided by the VA. When our neighbors answer our countrys call to service, we must answer their call when they return home, HUD Deputy Regional Administrator Wayne Sauseda said in the news release. Together with the VA, HUD remains committed to meeting the supportive housing needs of veterans, so that, one day, we end veteran homelessness in San Diego. Since 2008, more than 93,000 vouchers have been awarded and about 150,000 homeless veterans have been served through the HUD-VASH program nationwide. More than 600 public housing agencies administer the HUD-VASH program, and this most recent award includes 22 new agencies, increasing coverage to many communities. The program also helps VA Medical Centers assess veterans experiencing homelessness before referring them to local housing agencies for vouchers. Decisions are based on how long a person has been homeless and the need for longer-term care, among other factors. Veterans participating in the HUD-VASH program rent privately owned housing and generally contribute no more than 30 percent of their income toward rent. VA offers eligible homeless veterans clinical and supportive services through its medical centers across the U.S., Guam, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands. 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 A group of indigenous Canadians is outraged that a convicted child killer has not only been freed from prison but is being transferred to a healing lodge located on Nekaneet First Nations land. Terri-Lynne McClintic was sentenced to a prison term of life with no parole for 25 years when she kidnapped and murdered 8-year-old girl Tori Stafford in 2009. Tori was taken by McClintic after leaving school in Woodstock, Ontario, on April 8, 2009. Her grandmother called police about two and a half hours later when she didnt arrive home. When the little girls remains were discovered more than three moths later, she was naked from the waist down, had suffered broken ribs and liver lacerations and was killed by repeated blows to the head by a hammer. McClintics boyfriend, Michael Rafferty was charged with first-degree murder and McClintic was charged with being an accessory to murder before her charges were upgraded to first-degree murder. Advertisement McClintic, 28, who claims to be a First Nations descendant, will now be the responsibility of the Native Canadians, reported the Toronto Sun. In my opinion, if the elders were there in the intake process, I believe that McClintic wouldnt be in our community right now because they would have screened her out and said her crime is too horrendous to come to our community, said furious tribe member Cherish Francis. But they didnt have that opportunity. Healing lodges are Canadian correctional institutions created to suit the needs of Native Canadian inmates. The man accused of strangling Pennsylvania model Christina Carlin-Kraft in August claimed the cause was a drug-fueled fight over cocaine. In an enthralling Friday court hearing in Ardmore, Pa., accused killer Jonathan Harris revealed that on Aug. 22 he thought he would be going to Carlin-Krafts apartment to sell her $1,200 of cocaine. He said the two partook of the drug before having sex. But Carlin-Kraft, 36, allegedly refused to pay for the drugs, which led to a severe struggle, reported TV station WPVI. Harris, 30, claims the model bashed him with a glass bottle. He responded by slapping her, repeatedly punching her and binding her to prevent her from escaping. When the model asked to call her father, he gave her a phone. But when she attempted to contact 911, Harris began choking her. Advertisement I never meant to kill her, Harris allegedly told authorities. She was breathing when I left the apartment. Her battered body was discovered in her bloodstained bedroom after police were asked to make a safety check. His court appearance was just blocks from the murder scene. Charles Peruto, Harris attorney, refused to comment on the charges. It really leaves a bad taste in my mouth to watch lawyers give a press conference before a trial, said Peruto. It shows your hand, and its not proper to give evidence before its heard in court. According to booking-page credits, Carlin-Kraft appeared in big-name publications such as Victorias Secret catalog, Maxim and Vanity Fair. Police officers in Texas had a double dose of Friday drama when they arrived at a home to serve a search warrant and their accompanying K9 dog attacked a cop instead of the perp! According to local authorities, the dog inexplicably turned on its handler, biting him in the groin area, close to the femoral artery. Earlier reports claimed the injury was to the hand. Another cop then shot the dog to save the man, reported the Waco Tribune-Herald. At that point, another officer on scene was forced to put down the canine to save the officer, said Waco police spokesman Garen Bynum. The injured cop was transported to a nearby medical center. Bynum said the officer, who was not identified, was expected to be OK, before adding no further details would be publicized until Oct. 8. Advertisement Several hours after the dog, a Belgian Malinois, was killed, a Waco SWAT squad stormed the home. But the suspect the team was seeking was not in the residence. Numerous streets in the residential neighborhood were cordoned off, and neighbors claimed to have heard just the one gunshot believed to be the canine kill shot. Many cops remained in the neighborhood for several hours as the dogs carcass remained in the homes front yard. The name and sex of the canine cop were not disclosed. Belgian Malinoises resemble German Shepherds and can weigh as much as 66 pounds. Theyre prized for their alertness, high energy levels and adaptability in learning new tasks. Now that Bill Cosby is serving three to 10 years in prison for sex assault, hes starting to feel the onslaught of civil lawsuits previously placed on hold. A California judge ruled Friday that the 2016 sexual battery complaint filed by model Chloe Goins can move forward after it was virtually frozen pending the outcome of Cosbys Pennsylvania criminal case, Goins lawyer, Spencer Kuvin, said. The judge said the discovery hold blocking Cosbys deposition would end Oct. 25, Kuvin told the Daily News. Weve already requested they provide us with convenient dates to take his deposition by the end of the year, Kuvin said, referring to Cosbys camp. Ill take it by video in jail. Advertisement Chloe Goins, left, stands with attorney Spencer Kuvin as he addresses the media after Goins gave an interview to investigators in Los Angeles on Wednesday, Jan. 14, 2015. Goins alleges Bill Cosby sexually assaulted her. (Carlos Delgado / for New York Daily News) Attempts to reach a spokesperson for Cosby were not immediately successful Friday. Goins, 28, stepped forward in December 2014 with claims Cosby drugged and assaulted her at the Playboy Mansion in 2008, when she was 18 years old. After speaking with police in January 2015 to file a report, Goins sued the Fat Albert star for sexual battery. Cosby, 81, has denied the allegations through his lawyers. According to Goins, she met Cosby at a private party at the Playboy Mansion in the spring or summer of 2008 and consumed a drink that Cosby retrieved from the bar and provided to her. After taking a few sips, she started feeling woozy, Kuvin said Friday, reiterating her claims. Cosby then guided Goins to a bedroom in the mansion where she blacked out, he said. She woke up some time later, all of her clothes off, with Cosby down by her toes. He bit one of her toes, causing her to wake up. Her breasts felt wet and sticky, like someone had been licking them, Kuvin said. The lawyer said Goins immediately demanded to know what was happening, and thats when she allegedly saw Cosby pull his pants up and bolt out of the room. Goins initially claimed the alleged assault took place at the Midsummer Nights Dream party held at the Playboy Mansion in August 2008. Cosbys lawyers disputed the claim, saying they had evidence Cosby was in New York on the date of that specific party. Goins later said it was possible the party had a different title and date. Prosecutors ultimately declined to pursue any charges. They said the two potential crimes in the case would have been misdemeanor sexual battery and misdemeanor indecent exposure. Both of these offenses occurred in 2008 and are barred by the statute of limitations and as such any consideration of a criminal filing is barred by law, the rejection paperwork released by the Los Angeles County District Attorney read. Therefore prosecution is declined. Kuvin said Friday that his firm stands behind Goins. He said a June 2017 incident in which Goins was arrested for alleged heroin possession outside a jail facility in southern California has no bearing on the civil action. Nothing came of it, Kuvin said Friday. Police said they found something in her car, something that had been in the back under the seat. She doesnt know where it came from, and ultimately the charge was thrown out. He said while Goins has struggled with issues throughout her life and following the alleged encounter with Cosby, her claims remain credible. Mr. Cosby has been convicted of a violent sex assault. He may very well live out the rest of his life behind bars, Kuvin said Friday. This is our opportunity to get to the truth of what he did to our client, Ms. Goins, in 2008. We think his conviction certainly supports our case. Cosby, 81, was sentenced last week to three to 10 years in prison for drugging and sexually assaulting former Temple University staffer Andrea Constand at his suburban Philadelphia mansion in 2004. He fought the charges during two criminal trials but never testified in his own defense. Beyond the Goins case, Cosby is also facing civil lawsuits from multiple accusers around the country. Accuser Judy Huth claims Cosby molested her inside the Playboy Mansion in 1974 when she was just 15 years old. Huths case has a hearing next month and a trial date set for December. Model Janice Dickinson is suing Cosby for defamation in California while seven other accusers are plaintiffs in a similar defamation lawsuit pending in federal court in Massachusetts. A status conference in the Boston case is set for Oct. 24. A woman was killed in Jamul late Friday by a hit-and-run driver who officers were ultimately able to track down and arrest, the California Highway Patrol said Saturday. Around 7:20 p.m. Friday, a 65-year-old woman was crossing Route 94 near Rancho Miguel Road when she was struck by a white Toyota Corolla heading west on the highway, CHP officers said. The Corolla driver at first pulled over and got out of the car, then hopped back in and fled the area, continuing west on Route 94, officials said. The victim was taken by ambulance to a hospital, where she succumbed to her injuries, according to the CHP. Advertisement Authorities did not release the names of either the victim or driver. Saudi Arabia will allow Turkey to search its consulate in Istanbul for prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for three days after entering the diplomatic mission earlier this week. "The premises are sovereign territory, but we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. We have nothing to hide," Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a Bloomberg interview published on Friday. He said Khashoggi had left the building not long after he entered. Asked if Khashoggi faces charges in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed said it was first important to discover where he was. If hes in Saudi Arabia, I would know that, he added. Human rights groups have called on Saudi Arabia to verify Khashoggi's whereabouts after Turkish and Saudi authorities offered conflicting accounts of his disappearance, with Ankara saying there is no evidence he left the diplomatic mission and Riyadh saying that he exited the same day. Khashoggi entered the consulate on Tuesday to secure documentation for an forthcoming marriage, according to his fiancee, who waited outside. Turan Kislakc, a friend who heads the Arab Turkish Media Association, said Khashoggi received assurances from Saudi officials before his visit that he could enter safely. Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters that Khashoggi remained in the consulate and the authorities were negotiating with the Saudis to resolve the issue. The consulate said it was working with the Turkish government to "uncover the circumstances" of his disappearance. *This story was edited by Ahram Online. Search Keywords: Short link: Military officials Friday identified the San Diego-based Marine sergeant who died in an apparent murder-suicide in Houston early Wednesday, just two days after hed received a promotion. Massamba Diatta, 29, was an active duty infantryman who was assigned in August to recruiter school at Marine Corps Recruit Depot San Diego, a Marine spokesman said. He had been promoted from corporal to sergeant on Monday. Houston police said they were awaiting autopsy results to help investigators determine whether the suspect in the shooting was Diatta or the 23-year-old woman found inside a room with him at a Red Roof Inn. The womans name has not been released. Houston police said a toddler was found wandering around the hotel after the incident, which occurred around 12:15 a.m. Officers in Texas told the Houston Chronicle the child, 4, might have witnessed the incident and reported it to the front desk. Advertisement Our deepest condolences and thoughts are with the families of all involved during this difficult time, Capt. Martin Harris, a spokesman for the Marine Corps Western Recruiting Region, said in a statement. According to Harris, Diatta joined the Corps as a recruit in April 2013, from The Bronx in New York City. He \earned a number of awards and honors, including a Good Conduct Medal, which is given to any active-duty enlisted Marine who completes three consecutive years of honorable and faithful service. The Good Conduct Medal means Diatta went three years without any court martial offense, disciplinary infractions or non-judicial punishment. Houston police said Thursday they were continuing to investigate the deaths while awaiting the autopsy results. We are cooperating with civilian and military authorities during the investigation to collect all the details of the incident, the Marine captain said. Earlier in the week, Harris said the Marine Corps was working closely with the Houston Police Department and the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, which have jurisdiction over the investigation. Anyone with information in the case was urged to contact the Houston Police Departments homicide division at (713) 308-3600. Twitter: @Alex_Riggins (619) 293-1710 alex.riggins@sduniontribune.com The Senate on Saturday narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, securing a historic conservative majority on the nations highest court after a tumultuous confirmation process marked by partisan rancor, tearful testimony and tense allegations of sexual assault and bad faith. Kavanaugh was confirmed 50 to 48, the thinnest margin for any Supreme Court nominee in the modern era. Sen. Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska), who opposed the nomination, voted present to balance out a fellow Republican who could not attend but wanted to vote yes. The angry protests that shadowed Kavanaughs confirmation process continued until the bitter end, interrupting the Senate vote several times. Vice President Mike Pence, who also serves as president of the Senate, directed police to remove shouting protesters from the gallery. Several hundred protesters gathered in front of the Supreme Court after the vote, chanting past nightfall after police forced them off the broad stone steps. Many hugged. Some wept. Advertisement President Trump, who called Kavanaugh after the vote, signed the commission appointing him to the court while flying to Topeka, Kan., for a political rally. Kavanaugh was sworn in later Saturday. The 53-year-old conservative jurist can join the high court as early as Tuesday, when it next meets, and formally replace the swing vote of retired Justice Anthony M. Kennedy on issues as broad as abortion, gay rights and the environment. I think hes going to go down as a totally brilliant Supreme Court justice for many years, Trump told reporters in Topeka. Many years. He was chosen for the reason of his temperament, his incredible past, his outstanding years on the court. He added, And were very honored that he was able to withstand this horrible, horrible attack by the Democrats. Its a horrible attack that nobody should have to go through. Kavanaughs confirmation once considered certain, only to be upended over the last three weeks by decades-old allegations of sexual misconduct marks a major political victory for Trump and his supporters, one likely to resonate in next months midterm election. Both parties bemoaned a broken confirmation process albeit for different reasons that could have a lasting impact on the Senate and further inflame a nation polarized by tribal politics amid the cultural reckoning of the #MeToo era. Both Republicans and Democrats insisted that the tumult would motivate their voters to turn out for the Nov. 6 election with both sides citing the anti-Kavanaugh protests that have roiled Capitol Hill and far beyond as a sign of change to come. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) credited the protests in the Capitol, at lawmakers homes, in restaurants and at airports for unifying Republican lawmakers and the GOP voter base. He said the anger at the demonstrations would rouse Republicans to vote next month. Weve been wondering how we can fire up our own people because we know the Democrats are energized going into an off-year election, McConnell told the Los Angeles Times before the vote Saturday. Nothing unifies and energizes Republicans like a court fight. So the good news about it from a political point of view is it has allowed us to put what I think is our single biggest accomplishment that is, the transformation of the court system in the course of this Congress front and center going into the election a month from now, he said. Democrats said the protests showed the indignation not just at Kavanaughs alleged sexual assault of Christine Blasey Ford when both were teenagers, but at his fiery and strikingly partisan Sept. 27 testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. The nominee shouted, wept and angrily interrupted Democratic senators, giving rise to questions about his impartiality and temperament. 1 / 13 Police warn protesters occupying the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday to rally against the Kavanaugh confirmation. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 2 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters gather in New Yorks Union Square on Saturday. (Yana Paskova / Getty Images) 3 / 13 New York protesters march from Union Square to Times Square in a rally against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. (Yana Paskova / Getty Images) 4 / 13 New York protesters march from Union Square to Times Square to rally against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday. (Yana Paskova / Getty Images) 5 / 13 Police detain protesters who occupied the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol before the Senate voted on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. (Erik S. Lesser / EPA-EFE/REX ) 6 / 13 Jessica Campbell-Swanson of Denver sits in the lap of the Contemplation of Justice statue as protesters rally Saturday against Brett Kavanaugh. (Jose Luis Magana / AFP/Getty Images) 7 / 13 Demonstrators block the main entrance as they take the steps of the Supreme Court to protest the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. (Jose Luis Magana / AFP/Getty Images) 8 / 13 Protesters rally Saturday in Washington against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 9 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters rally outside the Supreme Court on Saturday. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) 10 / 13 Demonstrators from Washington-area law schools -- including Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, the District of Columbia and Catholic universities -- march on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest the Kavanaugh confirmation. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) 11 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters demonstrate Saturday at the Supreme Court. (Chris Kleponis / AFP/Getty Images) 12 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters demonstrate Saturday at the Supreme Court. (Jose Luis Magana / AFP/Getty Images) 13 / 13 A Howard University student waits for fellow demonstrators from Washington-area law schools for a rally on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest the Kavanaugh confirmation. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) sought to leverage the anger, urging the many millions who are outraged by what happened here to vote next month. If you believe Dr. Ford and other brave women who came forward and you want to vindicate their sacrifice, vote, he said on the Senate floor. McConnell said he held a crucial procedural vote Friday without knowing how it would end. He and Trump had agreed that if the Kavanaugh nomination failed, they had to quickly move on to another appointment. If this nomination was not successful, we were going to go with a second one and finish it before the end of this calendar year, he said. He said he wanted to hold a vote to give senators a chance to weigh in on the sexual assault allegations against Kavanaugh. For McConnell and the GOP, Kavanaughs confirmation is a reminder of why the party embraced Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign: the chance to make lifetime appointments to the Supreme Court. For lawmakers of both parties, the brutal confirmation process marked a low point in the Senates modern record of considering Supreme Court nominees. Everybody is losing in this situation, said Sen. Doug Jones (D-Ala.), who last year defeated Republican Roy Moore, whose campaign was undermined by multiple allegations of sexual abuse. The biggest losers are the people sitting over there in that court. This is a partisan Supreme Court and will be, and theyre the ones who are going to have to try to make it nonpartisan because we cant do it. Murkowski the only Republican to oppose Kavanaugh in the procedural vote warned that emotions on Capitol Hill are raw, calling her decision painful and the toughest of her political career. It was hard reconciling my heart and my head this week, she told reporters after explaining her opposition on the Senate floor. Murkowski voted present Saturday so that Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.) didnt have to leave his daughters wedding in Montana to vote yes. The vote margin of two would remain the same. Murkowski said Kavanaugh had eased her concerns over how he would consider cases on healthcare, abortion rights and Alaska Native issues. But she ultimately opposed his confirmation because of worries about his judicial independence and temperament after his emotional and passionate testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee. He had furiously denied Fords allegations that he had pinned her to a bed and covered her mouth to stop her from screaming while sexually assaulting her at a party when they were both high school students in 1982. Much of the Republican fury targeted Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), the top Democrat on the Judiciary Committee. She first received word of Fords allegations on July 30 and kept them confidential at her constituents request. When reporters learned of the allegation, Ford decided to come forward. Sens. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) and Tom Cotton (R-Ark.) have called for an investigation, suggesting Feinstein or her staff may have been responsible for leaking the information. Feinstein, who is campaigning for reelection next month, has strongly denied it. On Saturday, McConnell echoed the call for a review. The initial conclusion really ought to be reached over there in the [Judiciary] Committee, he said. Id be happy to take a look at whatever they recommend. Feinstein and other Democrats complained that a supplemental FBI investigation on Kavanaughs background failed to contact all the witnesses, and that the vote was called before all the facts were known about the nominees past. Ive never experienced anything like this, Feinstein said Saturday. Sen. Joe Manchin III of West Virginia was the only Democrat to break party ranks to support the nominee, saying that he hopes Kavanaugh doesnt allow the partisan nature of his confirmation to follow him to the bench. Sen. Charles E. Grassley (R-Iowa), chairman of the Judiciary Committee, said he wants to return to the tradition of Supreme Court nominees getting nearly unanimous votes in the Senate such as Ruth Bader Ginsburg did in 1993 or Stephen Breyer the following year. Those votes followed the bitter 1991 battle over Supreme Court nominee Clarence Thomas, who angrily denied Anita Hills allegations that he sexually harassed her in the workplace. Thomas ultimately was confirmed by a vote of 52 to 48, but the dispute turned sexual misconduct into a still-evolving political fault line. When asked what he will do to change the atmosphere, Grassley admitted he didnt know. The acrimony around Kavanaughs nomination could linger in the Senate, particularly around judicial nominations. It will have an impact for a little while, but there arent that many of us, said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of the GOP leadership. The Senates not very big, he said. Its a matter of figuring out how you can find what you agree with somebody on and move forward on that. There are clearly some hard feelings here, but this is not a place you get by not being fairly willing to roll with the punches. I think well move on, but I think it will take a while. The latest from Washington jennifer.haberkorn@latimes.com @jenhab UPDATES: 4:20 p.m.: This story was updated with Kavanaugh being sworn in. 3:58 p.m.: This story was updated with President Trumps comments. 3:03 p.m.: This story was updated with details and reaction to the confirmation vote. 1 p.m.: This story was updated with the Senate vote This story first posted at 12:45 p.m. Republicans and Democrats sharply disagreed on whether Brett Kavanaugh should join the Supreme Court, but across party lines, most agreed on what his appointment means. As a justice, Kavanaugh will almost surely create a significantly more conservative majority on the high court and shift the law to the right on a wide front possibly affecting such issues as abortion, affirmative action, environmental protection, gun rights, immigration, property rights and religion. That effect will be seen soon in small cases, such as a dispute the justices heard last Monday over the fate of a tiny endangered species of frog, as well as in larger constitutional conflicts about the limits of presidential power or the rights of individuals against the state. The pace of change will depend largely on Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr., who has talked about the importance of stability in the law and of preserving the perception that the court is not following a political agenda. His desire to avoid abrupt change could affect how quickly the court moves, but probably not its direction. Advertisement For the last 30 years, the courts center has been defined by the views of two moderate Republicans: Justices Sandra Day OConnor and Anthony M. Kennedy. They leaned to the right in cases involving business, crime, job discrimination or government power, but at times they sided with the courts liberals. Kennedy played the key role in recognizing gay rights, for example. And both were wary of pushing the law too far to the right. Most famously, they balked in 1992 when fellow conservatives tried to overturn the abortion right set forth in Roe vs. Wade. In 2006, OConnor retired and was replaced by a much more conservative jurist, Justice Samuel A. Alito Jr. Now, with the addition of Kavanaugh, the court will have five conservative Republican appointees and four liberal Democratic appointees and no apparent swing vote. And the court may no longer have members who are inclined to cross the aisle on occasion. In Kavanaughs years on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, he regularly took the most conservative position on three-judge panels and often set out his views in lengthy dissents. He did not play the role of the moderate who tried to find a middle position in hard cases. And if he was a staunch conservative at the time of his nomination in July, the fierce partisan fight over his confirmation may make it even less likely he will play a moderating role on the court. Undoubtedly, there will be cases, as there are in most terms, on which the justices agree in unanimous rulings. Some veteran advocates expect the chief justice and his colleagues to try extra hard to reach agreement this term. But many of these consensus rulings arise in non-ideological areas such as patents, taxes, bankruptcy or legal procedures. Kavanaugh joins a court on which the ideological divide is on display most days. Last Monday, for example, the eight justices heard their first argument of the new term; at issue was the reach of the Endangered Species Act. 1 / 13 Police warn protesters occupying the front steps of the U.S. Supreme Court on Saturday to rally against the Kavanaugh confirmation. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 2 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters gather in New Yorks Union Square on Saturday. (Yana Paskova / Getty Images) 3 / 13 New York protesters march from Union Square to Times Square in a rally against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh. (Yana Paskova / Getty Images) 4 / 13 New York protesters march from Union Square to Times Square to rally against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday. (Yana Paskova / Getty Images) 5 / 13 Police detain protesters who occupied the East Front steps of the U.S. Capitol before the Senate voted on the confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh. (Erik S. Lesser / EPA-EFE/REX ) 6 / 13 Jessica Campbell-Swanson of Denver sits in the lap of the Contemplation of Justice statue as protesters rally Saturday against Brett Kavanaugh. (Jose Luis Magana / AFP/Getty Images) 7 / 13 Demonstrators block the main entrance as they take the steps of the Supreme Court to protest the confirmation of Justice Brett Kavanaugh. (Jose Luis Magana / AFP/Getty Images) 8 / 13 Protesters rally Saturday in Washington against the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh. (Alex Wong / Getty Images) 9 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters rally outside the Supreme Court on Saturday. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images) 10 / 13 Demonstrators from Washington-area law schools -- including Georgetown, George Washington, Howard, the District of Columbia and Catholic universities -- march on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest the Kavanaugh confirmation. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) 11 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters demonstrate Saturday at the Supreme Court. (Chris Kleponis / AFP/Getty Images) 12 / 13 Anti-Kavanaugh protesters demonstrate Saturday at the Supreme Court. (Jose Luis Magana / AFP/Getty Images) 13 / 13 A Howard University student waits for fellow demonstrators from Washington-area law schools for a rally on the U.S. Capitol East Lawn to protest the Kavanaugh confirmation. (Chip Somodevilla / Getty Images) Seeking to protect a frog facing extinction in Mississippi, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service had deemed as critical habitat some nearby forestland in Louisiana with small ponds. Weyerhaeuser Co., which owned or leased some of the land, sued, arguing that the endangered frogs did not live there now and that the critical habitat designation had caused the value of its land to drop by $32 million. The courts liberals saw the environmental rule as reasonable. Justice Elena Kagan said the landowner was not required to do much, other than not cut down all the trees and drain the ponds. The conservatives saw an example of extreme over-regulation. Alito said that if the government wanted to control use of the land, it ought to pay the company for it. Their comments suggested the justices would split 4 to 4 on the outcome. They may try to fashion a narrow, compromise ruling. Or they may opt to have the case re-argued in a few months so that Kavanaugh can cast the deciding vote. On Wednesday, the court heard a case about a burial plot on a Pennsylvania farm, a seemingly small dispute that in reality could have a big effect in California and elsewhere. Rose Knick sued after her township told her she must allow visitors to cross her land to see the burial site. With the help of the Pacific Legal Foundation, based in Sacramento, she took her case to federal court and argued that the local regulation violated her rights under the 5th Amendment, which says private property [shall not] be taken for public use without just compensation. In the lower courts, to no ones surprise, Knick lost. The Supreme Court had set a procedural rule in 1985 that said property owners must go first to state courts to challenge land-use rules and seek compensation. That rule barred Knicks suit in federal court, but property rights advocates want the rule overturned. On Wednesday, an attorney from Pacific Legal, joined by a top Trump administration lawyer, urged the justices to allow property owners to skip over the state courts and go directly to federal court. Several of the courts conservatives have called for such a move. If they can form a majority with the addition of Kavanaugh, developers and property owners could go to federal court to challenge all manner of zoning and development restrictions. In California, that would probably mean more challenges to the states rules on development in the coastal zone. Kavanaughs arrival will probably also bolster the administration in its effort to fend off at least three significant legal challenges that are making their way to the high court. One case involves the presidents decision to repeal the Obama-era order that shields so-called Dreamers immigrants who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children from deportation. A second case challenges the Commerce Departments decision to add a question on citizenship to the 2020 census, a move that Californias lawyers say could lead to an undercount of the population. In the third case, lawyers for transgender members of the military, and other transgender people who want to enlist, are fighting the White Houses order to sharply restrict their ability to serve. In all three cases, lower-court judges have blocked the administration, at least temporarily, and its lawyers are trying to get the cases before the Supreme Court in this term. For many pro-business conservatives, the most talked-about issue on the agenda for a more conservative court is reining in the administrative state and the regulations that arise from federal agencies. Progressives praise rules that protect the environment, consumers, workers and investors from corporations and Wall Street; conservatives complain about dense and costly rules that are handed down by unelected bureaucrats. On the appeals court, Kavanaugh was a strong advocate for giving the president and judges more power to curb regulations. For social conservatives, abortion and religious liberty remain the top issues. Within a year or so, the court is likely to face a decision on whether to overturn or scale back the right to abortion the question on which OConnor and Kennedy split with their more conservative colleagues. In recent years, the justices dealt with several disputes over abortion. Those cases arose when Kennedy held the deciding vote. He made clear he would uphold limited regulation of the procedure, but not measures that blocked or outlawed abortions entirely. Now, with Kavanaugh sitting as his replacement, antiabortion lawyers in conservative states will press to prohibit abortion. Those laws will almost surely be struck down by federal judges because they violate Roe vs. Wade. But the eventual appeal would then head to the Supreme Court, forcing the chief justice and his colleagues to confront the issue that has rallied conservatives since the 1980s and helped elevate them to the high court. david.savage@latimes.com Twitter: DavidGSavage The latest from Washington With Californias race for governor narrowed down to two big-city rich guys, the mayor of the tiny farm town of Fowler worries that the San Joaquin Valley might continue to be a political afterthought. David Cardenas wants to see Democrat Gavin Newsom and Republican John Cox in the Valley a lot more often so the candidates can see firsthand the fallow fields, dry wells and farmworkers packing up and moving to other states. But even that might not be enough, he said. Advertisement Its hard to know what life is like here if you havent lived here, said Cardenas, who owns a small auto shop in town. I think that we will be better represented if we have someone who understands, has lived as a person from a very different background. No matter who wins in November, the next governor wont resemble most Californians. In a state where Latinos outnumber whites, women outnumber men and the median family income is just under $64,000 a year, both gubernatorial candidates are white men who earn more than a $1 million a year. Jose Antonio Romualdo Pacheco Jr., who served briefly as governor in 1875, remains the only non-white male to hold the office. The last governor from rural California was Earl Warren, who was elected during World War II. Warren grew up in Bakersfield in the early 1900s and later became chief justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. No woman has ever been elected governor. I think there are many folks who are very disappointed that were again going into the general election under these circumstances, said political scientist Mindy Romero, director of USCs California Civic Engagement Project. Breaking that barrier can inspire and signal to others that times have changed. Sen. Kamala Harris, left, speaks during a rally in downtown Los Angeles and Sen. Toni Atkins, right, speaking at the Ronald Reagan State Building in Los Angeles. (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times, Gary Coronado / Los Angeles Times) California has made strides elsewhere. Women have represented the state in the U.S. Senate since 1993, including Sen. Kamala Harris, who is of Jamaican and Indian descent. Four of Californias statewide officers are Latino or Asian American, the Assembly speaker is Latino and earlier this year Toni Atkins became the first lesbian leader of the state Senate. But there is still something about the governors race being the top elected official in our state, Romero said. Californians dont know a whole lot about politicians, but they do know who the governor is. While Newsom and Cox have vastly different political views, they share some similarities. Both spent most of their lives in big cities Newsom in San Francisco and Cox in Chicago. Both own Teslas and live in exclusive, expensive parts of California. Newsom and his family own a home in Marin County that is more than 4,000 square feet and worth $4.2 million, according to the real estate website Zillow. Cox and his family live in a 6,700-square-foot home worth $3.3 million in a Rancho Santa Fe gated community. From those perches, Newsom and Cox have vowed to end the critical shortage of affordable housing in California and address the explosion of homelessness in the state, where an estimated 134,000 people are on the streets or have no permanent place to live. Both candidates say voters should consider their life experiences, including difficult upbringings, and the ideals and accomplishments that have defined their adult lives. Their wealth is a reflection of success in business, an accomplishment that requires intellect, responsibility and a grasp of the inner workings of job creation and the economy essential traits for Californias next governor, they said. Newsom dismissed a recent story in The Times detailing how some of San Franciscos wealthiest families, including heirs to the Getty oil fortune, helped accelerate his rise in politics and business in San Francisco. To really understand him and the primary influences in his life, Newsom said voters should know that he spent half his childhood with his father in Placer County, one of the most conservative pockets of rural California, and was raised by a mother who scratched out a living to provide for her children. California Lt. Gov. and California gubernatorial candidate Gavin Newsom, center, and San Francisco Mayor London Breed, left, talk with a resident as they visit the Alice Griffith Apartments on Aug. 22 in San Francisco. (Justin Sullivan / Getty Images) I grew up with a single mom who knew no wealth and struggled all her life, and thats a very raw and real experience for me, Newsom said during a recent campaign bus tour through California. The lieutenant governor said that as mayor and supervisor in San Francisco, he championed racial, social and economic justice, including his efforts to alleviate poverty and homelessness in the city. He gained national attention as mayor of San Francisco in 2004 when he directed the city to begin issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples, a catalyst in a legal battle that ended when the U.S. Supreme Court affirmed the right of LGBTQ people to marry in 2015. So as it relates to advocacy, gender equity, gender equality, racial justice thats my Why, Newsom said. So I think I bring that all to bear despite the Northern California pedigree, the proverbial straight white male Ive always tried to see the world through a different set of eyes. Republican gubernatorial candidate John Cox chats with media inside his campaign bus. (Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times) On the campaign trail, Cox also talks about his difficult childhood in Chicago, and being raised by a single mother when he was young after his father left. Cox said he worked his way through college, earning a degree to be a certified public accountant, then did the same when he went to law school. If youre going to compare Mr. Newsom and I, compare the fact that I started at the bottom, worked my way and build my business with efficiency and quality, Cox said at a campaign event in San Luis Obispo in August. He started by being funded by a billionaire, Gordon Getty. Thats who put him in business. Thats who put him in politics. Ive had to work and produce and deliver results. Cox has also lashed out at Newsom and Californias Democratic political leadership, saying the most dire crises facing California poverty, homelessness and the lack of affordable housing all happened while Democrats controlled the governors office and Legislature. The increase in gas taxes signed into law in 2017 are just one example of a Democratic policy that hurts working Californians, he said. It doesnt matter what color you are if you cant afford gasoline, Cox said. People who are brown or black are still being beaten down in this state by the cost of gasoline, by the cost of housing, by schools that dont teach, by fires that threaten their lives. Harmeet Dhillon, one of Californias representatives on the Republican National Committee, said voters should be more concerned about a candidates ability to improve their lives than their gender or the color of a politicians skin. Still, she noted that Neel Kashkari, the Republican nominee in the 2014 governors race, was Indian American, and the GOP nominee in 2010 was a woman, former EBay President and Chief Executive Meg Whitman. Their Democratic challenger was Jerry Brown, who won both elections. In my party, were post-racial, Dhillon said. The Democrats are more hung up on it. Senate candidate Kevin de Leon chats with David Martinez, left, and Carlitos Valencia, 10, right, at a meet and greet with farmers at a barbecue in Somis. (Brian van der Brug / Los Angeles Times) Los Angeles state Sen. Kevin de Leon, who is challenging fellow Democrat Dianne Feinsteins bid for reelection in the U.S. Senate, said candidates who reflect the lives and experiences of the Californians they represent lead to better public policy. He questioned how Feinstein, the second wealthiest member of Californias congressional delegation, could know the struggles of those she represents. I dont criticize her for being wealthy, said De Leon, who was raised by a single mother in San Diego. But I think I have a better understanding of why so many families want an increase in the minimum wage, quality healthcare and have criminal justice issues. Among the biggest blind spots for politicians in Sacramento are the issues facing rural California, since the vast majority of lawmakers represent urban areas, Assemblywoman Anna Caballero (D-Salinas) said. Its a fight to get them to recognize that one size doesnt fit all, said Caballero, who is running for state Senate. One glaring example, she said, was the landmark legislation recently signed by the governor that will require all of Californias electricity to come from clean power sources by 2045. The legislation limits the credit given to hydroelectric power as a renewable energy source, and that is expected to increase utility bills in the Central Valley one of the hottest regions in California. It totally left out rural California, Caballero said. We need a governor whos going to listen. Coverage of California politics phil.willon@latimes.com Twitter: @philwillon Updates on California politics An online campaign to fund Republican Senator Susan Collins Democratic opponent in the next election saw a significant uptick in donations Friday after Collins announced that she would vote yes on Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh all but guaranteeing his confirmation. As Collins spoke from the Senate Floor, explaining her support of President Trumps embattled pick for the Supreme Court, Kavanaugh opponents flocked to the Crowdpac campaigns site to empty their pockets. Donors gave more than $50,000 over the course of Collins nearly 45-minute speech, bringing the total amount of funds raised to more than $3 million. The page was so overwhelmed by eager contributors Friday that it crashed briefly. Advertisement Two activist groups Maine Peoples Alliance and Mainers for Accountable Leadership joined dying father Ady Barkan to form the campaign in August, urging people to start funding Collins eventual opponents 2020 campaign. Either Sen. Collins votes no on Kavanaugh or we fund her future opponent, the site reads. Its unclear who Collins challenger will be. Collins accused the activist groups behind the campaign of attempting to bribe her into voting against Kavanaugh. The page explains that donors wont be charged if Collins votes no on Kavanaugh. Susan Collins has betrayed the people, and especially the women and survivors, of Maine, the campaign organizers said in a statement. Thousands of Mainers wrote, called, visited, protested, begged and pleaded with Susan Collins to do the right thing to be a hero and vote no. She ignored them. Collins said Christine Blasey Fords accusations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her when the two were teens fail to meet the more likely than not standard and believes voting against him would set a dangerous precedent. The Senate this afternoon will vote on Kavanaughs confirmation. Q&A with Gary Kreep, San Diego County Superior Court Judge San Diego Superior Court Judge Gary Kreep seeks re-election in 2018. Nelvin C. Cepeda/San Diego Union-Tribune San Diego voters will choose a Superior Court judge for Office 37 this November. Incumbent Judge Gary Kreep faces challenger Matt Brower, a deputy district attorney. Each candidate met separately with The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board. Here is the transcript for Gary Kreep. Editor's note: Once during this on-the-record interview, The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board agreed to let Kreep go off the record while discussing a personal matter. Union-Tribune: There were 47 San Diego Superior Court judges up for reelection this year. Only two were challengers and youre the only one not elected outright. Why is that? KREEP: Well, first of all, you have to go back six years to when I was elected the first time. The judicial establishment, the legal establishment, the Republican establishment, the Democratic establishment, a number of special interest groups all opposed me. I was supposed to lose the election by 20 points that was the consensus of everyone and I won and when I won, I made some enemies by winning because there were my opponent, whos a very nice man. Garland Peed and I got along fine. My opponent didnt like campaigning, and thats his right. He stopped campaigning two weeks before the election. He told me that right out and but what happened was is because I stood up to the judicial, legal, et cetera, et cetera establishment a lot of people took it very hard and as I was told by one of the senior judges shortly after I took the bench, I had a target on my back and so then came the CJP [Commission on Judicial Performance] inquiry and $250,000 was spent by my opponents in the primary election to try to knock me out. I survived the primary and now Im in the runoff. I can go into details about why people, you know, supported me or didnt support me, but essentially, as was shown by a map that was in the CityBeat that name you know what Im talking about? Union-Tribune: San Diego CityBeat. KREEP: San Diego CityBeat. I won the a majority of the minority precincts in San Diego. I won almost all of the rural precincts in San Diego, except for two or three around Camp Pendleton. I lost the kinda high-end Republican precincts in San Diego and I wound up winning. Union-Tribune: How about talk a bit about that because, obviously, there were a lot of challengers in this race for you got 30 percent of the vote, they collectively split the other 70. As an incumbent, whats your path to victory if you polled 30 percent in the primary? KREEP: Well, the two my two major opponents Mr. Torres and Mr. Brower focused their campaigns entirely on attacking me. They didnt talk about themselves. They attacked me. You can still see that if you go under his website Mr. Browers website. The other two, Mr. Miller and Mr. Nader they promoted themselves as candidates what they would bring to the job as opposed to why I shouldnt be a judge. As I said, there was about $250,000 spent between them to try to knock me out. Thats a lot of money and they each had their own ways of attacking me and their own appeal to they had you had the Nader and the Miller appealing to the more moderate wing of the party, you had the progressive wing of the party supporting Brower and a substantial part of the Hispanic community supporting Torres. So my job my path to victory, if you will, is to convince the people who voted for me in 2012 to come back and to increase my vote Union-Tribune: Hey, guys. Sorry Im late. KREEP: And to increase my vote in areas that I did well six years ago. Union-Tribune: And how aggressively are you campaigning now? Is it knocking doors and the traditional stuff? Are you KREEP: Peoples minds Ive Ive been involved in politics since 1964. Thats when I started my first clinical activity and campaigns and peoples minds dont get onto the election really until Labor Day or after. Now, does that mean Im sitting around on my rear-end? No. Im speaking to groups. Im seeking endorsements. Im planning my strategy for the September and October and working with with several people who have been longtime friends who are interested in helping me, raising money to pay for the execution of my campaign strategy. Union-Tribune: Have you got a good list of endorsements yet? KREEP: Well Ive got I think its 17 or 18 current former judges. Ive got Joel Anderson, a state senator. Ive got Jim Miller whos on the El Cajon School Board. Ive got somebody thats on the Democratic County Central Committee. Ive got somebody thats on the Republican County Central Committee. The judges who back me Hispanic, black, very liberal, Democratic, Republican, white, male, female. You know, a lot of the people that support me dont agree with my politics, but politics has got nothing to do with being on the bench. Judge Gary Kreep Union-Tribune: I saw your opponent also has a number of judges. I think it was seven current and five retired San Diego, California Superior Superior Court judges. He also lists a wider range of endorsements, I think its fair to say, from Democrats and Republicans elected to office. Does does he appeal to a broader range? I mean you just listed kind of a diverse cross-section of San Diegans, but is his appeal less partisan than yours? KREEP: If you well, I make it a habit I dont attack my opponents. Okay? And Im not going to tell you what I think of him or anything else. Thats up to him. I mean Ive seen some of the things that hes written about me, which are not very generous and in some cases not particularly accurate, but thats thats up to him. Im not going to attack my opponent. Im going to talk about what Ive done about the things that Ive done to promote justice in the San Diego judicial community. There are people who on the bench who despise me tell you that right out. Tim Taylor, Randa Trapp, they both despise me. Thats their theyre extremely partisan people, and they appear to have joined in the idea that if you dont agree with them you shouldnt be on the bench. Thats why I talk about the Republican and Democratic judges that I have supporting me. You know, a lot of the people that support me dont agree with my politics, but politics has got nothing to do with being on the bench. Being on the bench has to do with enforcing the law, in my case ensuring due process is given to everybody that appears before me, being sure that their rights are not ignored or violated in the judicial process, and I spent a lot of time doing that. Union-Tribune: But isnt troubling for you to complain that other people are partisan when youre so prominent in the birther issue, which is, to me, like the ultimate partisan issue? In September 1959, Barack Obama Sr. arrived at the University of Hawaii, and it was considered news in the state because he was the first [student from Africa] ... to study at the at the center they had the UH Pacific Center. In August 1961, the state Department of Health published birth records showing that Barack Obama Jr. had been born, and 50 years later you were at the center of attempts to say this didnt happen, that he really wasnt there and how can you then turn around and criticize others for being partisan when journalists spent millions of dollars going all over the place to try to determine the truth of this and found there was nothing there? KREEP: Well thats your view on the situation, sir. I didnt think I was here to talk about things that happened two that I was involved with before I was a judge. Now, sir Union-Tribune: You raised the issue of others (for being partisan). KREEP: Sir, can I finish, please? Can I finish, please? Union-Tribune: Sure. KREEP: You know, we talked before you came in, and you told me youre the one that told me how crazy I was six years ago when you interviewed me for the this the your editorial board and went to some lengths telling me how crazy I was and, you know, thats your right to think that, sir. As I told you, there is in the record a statement by Barack Obamas so if you really want to get into this so is this what were going to talk about? Union-Tribune: Id like to hear your answer. Sure. KREEP: Okay. Barack Obamas grandmother who lives in Kenya where Barack Obamas cousin as according to the mainstream media as president of Kenya or was at the time and who Barack Obama its in the federal register spent several million dollars making sure he got reelected as president of Kenya federal your taxpayer money. She said that she was present in Mombasa at his birth and performed a Zulu birth ritual on him. Thats her statements, not mine. Now, in indirect response to this gentlemans attack, I was brought I was contacted about suing Senator McCain over his lack of status in the United States and I looked into that, but he didnt win the presidency. Barack Obama did. Senator McCain was not born in the Panama Canal. There is a birth certificate that was obtained certified copy that showed that Senator McCain was actually born in the country of Panama at a hospital there in I believe it was Panama City. Because of a law in effect at that time, his grandfather, the admiral, had the law changed by Congress two years later. John McCain was not a citizen of the United States at the time of his birth because, at that point in time, if you were born to a military person you were not a citizen of the United States out outside of the United States. You were not a citizen of the United States. You had to go through a procedure to become a citizen. The Congress passed changed that law two years later, but did not make it retroactive. So I was contacted about suing both of them. So if you want to make that a partisan issue, okay, but I thought we were here to talk about my being a judge rather than what I did before I was a judge, but thats okay. Im ready to answer any questions you have. Union-Tribune: Yeah... and Im Jeff Light, by the way. Im sorry that I was late. Im the editor. I just wanted to hear a little bit of your take on you know, you brought it up you said like some of these judges are super against me. I think we had some stories about how there was an effort to marginalize you like through assignments and I have to say like when I saw oh, its Gary Kreep I cant wait. I want to hear what this guys got to say, you know, because its a controversial name. What is it what is that all about? Why are the you mentioned, you know, some of these guys dont like you and I think I caught a little bit of the flavor of perhaps its because of your determination to run a fair courtroom in a way that maybe is crossways with their interpretation. Tell me about that. KREEP: Okay. San Diego Superior Court Judge Gary Kreep goes before the commission on Judicial Performance where he is charged with various violations of the judicial ethics code. Nelvin C. Cepeda / The San Diego Union-Tribune Union-Tribune: Hows this gone, whats it like being that guy and whats the whole environment, you know? KREEP: Okay. In January I think it was January 23rd, 2013, I was I went to the executive committee meeting of the San Diego County Judiciary. They have an executive committee, but all judges are allowed to participate just to listen. You cant vote. Im not I was never executive committee. Never have been, dont want to be and at that time there was a motion brought forward by an ally of then presiding Judge Robert Trentacosta to officially endorse a policy of allowing the presiding judge to keep secret files on each judge in the county, files that the judge could not see without the presiding judges approval and I spoke up against that. I mean I was brand-new. I was told not to. I was told to keep my mouth shut. Just but I have my own version and you can disagree or not of whats right and wrong and I thought that it was just insidious for a judge to collect random attacks, anonymous attacks, critical attacks on judges and keep them in a secret file so the judge didnt have a chance to respond to them. I spoke out against it. I was not the only one, by the way. I the other two judges, though, were in positions of power. As far as I know nothing happened to them. The next day I was visited by one of the senior judges who said you have a target on your back. You have to watch your back. You have to understand that other judges can say and do things that youre not going to be able to say and do because theyre not under the microscope of Judge Trentacosta. So that went on from there. Then the City Attorneys Office, when I was handling Department 3 in custody misdemeanors I have a policy that I believe which I believe in the United States Constitution, and I dont believe that the prosecutors should be able to violate the constitutional rights of people. The City Attorneys Office in San Diego and you can talk to a number of judges who, if theyre being honest I could give you names of judges who will confirm this to you believe that theyre in charge at that time they were in charge of Departments 1, 3 and 9. Those were the misdemeanor departments and that if any judge did not do what they want they would blanket challenge the judge to get rid of them so they could get a judge that they had more control over. Judge Peter Gallagher was blanket challenged twice for not kowtowing to the City Attorneys Office. Union-Tribune: And and what is it that the city how did they violate the rights of whats the, you know KREEP: Well, I will Union-Tribune: Youll tell me, okay. KREEP: Well, its different in with Pete it was different issues. With mine they wanted the every time a defendant pled guilty they wanted that person to give up their Fourth Amendment rights to search and seizure for as long as three years and if the defendant was willing to do that I didnt interfere, but if they didnt agree to do that the City Attorney would often come back and try to impose that and I wouldnt do it and I would refuse to do it and I got took a lot of flak over it from the City Attorneys Office because they believe they should be controlling the census in those departments. Now, if you read our Cannons of Ethics, it says that a judge is supposed to look at each case individually. Were not supposed to say oh, these are all DUIs so Im going to give the sentence or these are all petty thefts or these are all, you know, urinating in public and give the sentence. I looked at each case on as an individual case. Several times I dismissed cases that I thought were inappropriately brought and that they just went through the they just went through the ceiling on that because how dare I, as a judge who has every power to do so dismiss dismiss some of their cases? Let me give you an example. The law says that if you have used drugs and you call the for medical assistance because you believe youre overdosing you cant be prosecuted for that. I dont remember the code section, but I could dig it up for you. They insisted on prosecuting a guy who called 9-1-1, said look, Ive overdosed on drugs, I need medical help. So they came, picked him up, he was arrested, he was prosecuted. The laws says they cant prosecute him. They insisted that they had the right. I said heres the law. The defense attorneys brought me the law. It was right in the code section very clear, so I dismissed the case. They went ballistic. Okay? I had another case where a man was arrested for dropping a cigarette on the ground and stepping on it in front of police. They arrested him for littering. Now, they dont really have the right to arrest him, but he refused to sign the ticket because he said youre selectively prosecuting me. The City Attorneys Office came to me and said we want this case handled by you in Department 3 where he can get custody as opposed to be handled in Kearny Mesa where they do traffic where they do infractions and the Clerk actually Im sorry. It was the Clerks Office that came to me and says that they were the City Attorneys was demanding. So I said look, youve got to keep your peace with the City Attorneys office. Go ahead, set it here. By the time it got to me, this man had been in custody for eight days on a crime he could not be in custody for. Union-Tribune: Oh, I want his name. Send us his name. KREEP: Well, Id have to go back through a lot of files. Im sorry. Union-Tribune: Oh, no, no. Yeah. KREEP: But anyway. So I dismissed the case. The City Attorneys Office went ballistic. There was another case there are several cases where the City Attorneys Office would renege on deals theyd made with defendants through defense counsel and they said well we dont have to we dont have to do that and I said no, you made a deal, Im going to enforce it. They didnt like this. Now, you know, I really shocked the heck out of the defense bar because here I am this right-wing nutcase of a judge attorney, and Im sitting there upholding the constitutional rights of their defendants. I became very popular with the defense bar and I became very unpopular with the City Attorneys Office, so they finally found some excuses and they filed a blanket challenge of me. Now, in the old days when I was 20 years ago, if the City Attorneys Office filed a blanket challenge against the judge because they didnt like his or her ruling theyd be trying their downtown cases in El Cajon because the judge is supposed to have independence, but over the past few years its become the position of the local judiciary that if the City Attorneys Office wants a judge gone theyre gone. So I was then transferred to Kearny Mesa to do hear traffic and small claims, and there was some furor about it and then I was brought that was in September, I believe, and I was brought back in November. In the meantime, I made I raised hackles with the City Attorneys Office. They had they were bringing cases to me that were not proper. They had they were prosecuting a father who had a fishing license who had his 10-year-old son with him on a fishing pier. So they wanted to fine him I dont know like $100 for having his 10-year-old son with a fishing pole out there because the son did not have a fishing license and I thought that was ridiculous so I dismissed the case. I guess were getting another being joined by someone else. I guess Im popular. Union-Tribune: Yeah. No, sometimes its bigger. So just to finish that up on the search and seizure piece so just so I could track on that. Like the KREEP: If you got picked if you Union-Tribune: The city attorney would like make some sort of plea deal they would say okay, part of the terms youre going to be were going to search your house or your phone KREEP: Your person. Your car. Union-Tribune: Then the guy gets in there and they say your honor, okay, were weve settled the case, heres the and the guy says like wait a minute, I dont want that. KREEP: No, no. If they because if they settled the case with that agreement, I did not touch it. Union-Tribune: Okay. KREEP: But sometimes theyd forget to add that in. So theyd want to come back in later and add that in, and I said no, you made a deal. Union-Tribune: I got it. KREEP: Im not going to force them because I have a problem with that. I mean were talking about in in misdemeanors were talking about people who, you know, stole a cupcake. I mean you name it. I mean it could be anything and theyd want three years of of car, house, person. Police can stop and search and seize at any time, and that bothered me from a constitutional point of view. Union-Tribune: Got it. KREEP: Okay? Does that answer your question? Union-Tribune: Yes, yes. Thats very interesting. How dig into some of that because I wanted to ask you about the severe public censure on these 29 specific acts. You have denied all of those? KREEP: No, I admitted a number of them. Union-Tribune: Okay. KREEP: I I admitted them right out. Id said some stupid things. Okay? I admitted what I said. I admitted what I did and denied what I didnt do. Okay? Union-Tribune: Okay. KREEP: Now, do you want to talk about the charges about me greeting non-English speaking defendants by saying hola, senor or buenos dias, senorita or senora? There were 20 different charges. They they funneled them into, I think, one or two charges, but there were 20 some allegations that I was handling cases in Spanish in my courtroom. What I did was someone came in, they did not speak English, I believed in showing everybody respect in my courtroom. I would greet each defendant Mr. Jones, Mr. Smith, Mr. Brown, whatever. I would greet each Spanish-speaking defendant buenos, dias Senor Garcia, buenes tardes, Senor Hernandez. Thats all I did. I did not conduct the cases in Spanish. Now, there are judges at this courthouse who have conducted entire hearings in Spanish with no interpreter, and thats okay because theyre Hispanic and theyre not me. Okay? But for me to just greet people, that was deemed a major offense by the City Attorneys Office. Do you know that every courtroom Ive been in has a recording device in it? Thats because Ive been assigned to departments with recording devices. Misdemeanors in custody misdemeanors Department 3 at 220 West Broadway, which is now closed, traffic and small claims up in Kearny Mesa and unlawful detainers in Department 7, now in Department 60 because weve moved over to the new courthouse. The powers that be have gone to essentially every one of my cases and listened to every tape of every case that Ive ever had to try to find things to go after me on. You dont have to believe me. Theres a lot of discussion about how many cases they had gone through. They were bringing up they charged me with allegations, then they brought up Im sorry the disks, you know the audios from cases that they didnt even charge me with just to try to attack me. Okay, I understand. Im a target. You know, Ive been you grow up with a last name like mine you know. I was I was short, I was fat, I wore glasses, I had a terrible last name and my mama dressed me funny. I mean I wasnt even allowed to wear sneakers until I was 13 years old because thats just the way my mother and her husband were. So Ive been a target for a good part of my life for a whole variety of reasons. The new $555.5 million state court building was formally dedicated in a ceremony closed to the public on Monday, June 5, 2017. John Gibbins / San Diego Union-Tribune Union-Tribune: But you came close to losing your seat. I mean that what happened is the second most harsh sanction against a judge and I read that four out of the 10 commissioners voted for removal. KREEP: Thats right. Union-Tribune: Was that a conspiracy or is that people looking KREEP: No. Union-Tribune: at the record and seeing a problem? KREEP: Well, 10 of them refused to remove me and its interesting. The four who voted to remove me were all judges appointed by the Chief Justice, just a fact. The 10 people that all voted to not remove me were the 10 people that were attorneys and citizens who had no legal background. Now, they were only given two options, severe censure or removal, so thats how they voted. If you want to get back to some of the basis for which they brought me up I mean do you know they actually charged me and I could dig up the document for you with walking in my chambers in stocking feet not wearing shoes. Now, thats a crime. I got to tell you thats a real crime and thats one of the charges. Now, they didnt take that to the trial, but I had to respond to an investigation into that act. Another one. An attorney that I had sworn in when she passed the bar I saw her four months later. She had gotten a job. I walked into a courtroom. She ran up to me, threw her arms around me and hugged me. That was I had to I had to respond to a complaint about that because I was having an inappropriate relationship with this attorney. Id seen her once since I swore her in. That was the last time Ive seen her. They harassed her so bad that shes afraid to even come near me because they said well youre having a relationship with Judge Kreep, arent you? At the trial there was a memo ... that claimed that I was having inappropriate relationship with three deputy public defenders while I was in Department 3, that I was having clandestine meetings with them behind closed doors in my chambers. Now, that was done by a deputy city attorney who recanted that on the stand when it was she was asked about it and the interesting thing is have any of you been into 220 West Broadway? Union-Tribune: I dont think so. KREEP: Okay. Well its closed now so you cant. Department 3 was on the front end. My chambers were on the back end. For anybody to know that there was even a closed door, they would have had to have x-ray vision, see through five walls to see it because there was no straight shot because I had the in custody behind me. So there were metal doors so nobody could go in without (a chip). Only the bailiffs and the clerks and I could go in and she finally recanted and said yeah, I and she also claimed that these three deputy city deputy public defenders were flirting with me to get better census for their clients, which is ridiculous. All three of them testified. They all said it never happened and one of them two of them are married, one of them to a deputy district attorney and they all said its one of them said it was ridiculous and also it never happened. Every attorney that appeared for the Public Defenders Office said it never happened, this is crazy and the Public Defenders Office even consulted with an attorney about the possibility of suing because basically theyre saying that these that I but more importantly that these deputy public defenders were committing criminal acts and that could result in them being disbarred, but since she recanted it on the stand Union-Tribune: I want to one of the charges was that you asked a woman charged with prostitution is it you like the money or you just like the action? KREEP: Yeah, I did, and I admitted that. I was trying to talk her out of being a prostitute. I had people come women come in there young women 18, 19 first-time prostitution cases, and I would try to talk them out of ever doing it again. Okay? Maybe I shouldnt. Maybe I should just throw the book at them like the City Attorneys Office wanted me to, but this woman was pretty hardcore and I was trying to figure out what it would take to get her off doing this because you probably know as well as I do that that life is going to lead to drugs and death either from AIDS, syphilis, gonorrhea, drug overdose or being murdered and so I made a real effort to try to talk these women out of this lifestyle. So yes, I did say those things, and I admitted it and I explained it, but that didnt make any difference because it was deemed inappropriate. San Diego Superior Court Judge Gary Kreep is shown in a 2012 file photo. Eduardo Contreras / San Diego Union-Tribune Union-Tribune: Do other judges make similar comments do you believe, have the same sort of attempt to change peoples ways of life? KREEP: According to the Los Angeles Daily Journal, which is the main newspaper (unintelligible) transcript is basically, you know, just an ad situation anymore. Yes, theres been judges in this county profiled for doing the same thing, and that was okay. In fact, I tried to bring in a judge to testify that she does essentially the same thing, and the at the hearing they wouldnt allow it. This the prosecutor oh, no, your honor, this is irrelevant. It doesnt matter what these other judges do. Its only what Judge Kreep does. So they wouldnt allow it. I mean the trial went on for two weeks. Give me a break. So I can understand why they were trying to keep it down. Union-Tribune: Can I take you back to you said the four of the commissioners who voted for removal were all appointees? KREEP: Were were all judges appointed to the Judicial Commission, its my understanding, by the by the presiding judge. Union-Tribune: So are you suggesting a conspiracy there? KREEP: No, Im not. Im just Union-Tribune: Youre just laying out the fact. KREEP: Im just laying out a fact. Im not much into conspiracy, so despite what you may think. Union-Tribune: Well there are people on the other side of the birther issue who might disagree with that. KREEP: Well, you know, I originally refused to get involved in that case and the reason I did was because people who I respected told me there was nothing to it and then I was approached by somebody who was a long at that time a long-term friend of mine, and he brought me a variety of documents. He brought me some and it wasnt those phony birth certificates and all that that were that guy was selling on the Internet. They were real it was real information that seemed to support the claim and I felt that the that the public had the right to know, number one. Number two, I argued one of those cases. I took, I think, four up to the U.S. Supreme Court. Argued one of those cases before the 9th Circuit Court of Appeal and one of the Justices on the Ninth Circuit and I could dig up her name, but I I dont remember it off the top of my head. It was Pregerson was one judge and I forget the other two names, but the female judge on that and this is on this is televised nationwide on C-SPAN 2 said that its an important constitutional issue, but I just dont think this is the case to bring it in. Thats her quote, not mine. So you can laugh at me all you want or say Im nuts or whatever, but I spent a lot of time I spent 37 years on constitutional law cases. I handled and, you know, when people say well, youre a racist thats what Judge Trapp thinks. Ive Ive got to be a racist because I sued Barack Obama. Youre a racist for doing that case. I said well, how does that square with the class action cases that I filed representing hundreds of thousands of poor mostly black and Hispanic children all across the State of Californias school districts who are denying them their constitutionally guaranteed right of free public education California Constitution guarantee? And I won most of those cases, okay, and stopped some unconstitutional things that school districts were doing, including several around San Diego County and if Im such a racist, why do I have so many black and Hispanic friends? I mean when the Bar Association said well youre not qualified because youre a racist, I gave them the name of a bunch of people. They called contacted them all, and then they came back and said well yeah, youre youre not a racist. These were people thatd known me for decades, worked for me, former employees, business people, people Id gone on vacations with known me for decades. So then they decided the reason why I was lacking qualifications was because all Christians are too biased to be judges, therefore any Christian is lacking qualifications to be a judge. This is what was told me back in 2012 by the San Diego County Bar Association in a meeting with I think it was 21 of their leadership, and they none of them disagreed with that. So how do you think I feel when people start saying to me well youre a racist? Well they dont know me. Okay? Theres a lot of things they dont know about me. Im also told that Im homophobic because I defended Prop 8 in court in six different cases. Well, I happen to believe that people have a right (unintelligible) and you can say you may disagree. I have one of my good buddies Peter Gallagher recently performed same-sex marriage. Ive attended same-sex marriages with friends. I dont think that disagreeing on same -ex marriage being legal has anything to do with being homophobic. Ive had relatives that were homosexual, gay. Thats their business. Its not my business to sit there and judge them or condemn them, but it is my right to object when some when somebody decides oh, weve got to change the law, a law thats been in effect for hundreds of years and and a law that the voters passed. That bothers me, so condemn me for it. Okay. New federal courthouse annex building in downtown San Diego. Nelvin C. Cepeda Union-Tribune: Let me the Me Too movement is a big part of our cultural zeitgeist right now. KREEP: Right. Union-Tribune: Back in 2012, I believe, San Diego City reported on your divorce proceeding with your second wife. Let me just read this to you in light of current times. This is a statement from your ex-wife written in a declaration on file with the East County Courthouse: Since my marriage to my husband it has become very clear that he has a very strong need to control me emotionally, physically and financially. The reason I left my husband is because he was verbally and physically and emotionally abusive. He is a recovering alcoholic and unfortunately has to lay blame on me for things he cannot accept in himself. He accuses me of addictive behaviors I dont have, throws bottles at me, punches holes in walls and belittles me. KREEP: Well, I never punched a hole in a wall. I have punched a hole in a wall a number of years ago when somebody did something that I was really mad about way before I knew her and when youre losing a thousand dollars or more a night gambling, I would say thats somewhat addictive and I was having to foot the bill for it, so and when I and we because Im old-fashioned, we didnt live together before we got married. Okay? We dated and she had a PhD in Psychology from UCLA and shes a very attractive woman. I fell in love with her and we married. Within six months, I learned that she was an alcoholic, that she just concealed it from me. When youre drinking a bottle of wine, half a bottle of Kahlua and half a six pack of beer every day, Id say thats a little bit over the edge. I never shes admitted this, by the way, that I never touched her in anger. She said that my idea that her idea of physical abuse was when she started screaming at me one time and I pounded the table, and I was like 10 feet away from her. She said that was physically abusive when I pounded the table. Okay? She was having an affair with four different men while we were married. She was advertising herself on newspapers to meet meet men. You know, not newspapers, but you know what Im saying. Those websites. I I dont anyway. I found all this out, and it wasnt me saying oh, it happened. Her daughter came to me and told me it was happening because she would go away for weeks at I was having serious surgery, and I was laid up for about two to three months. While Im laid up in a hospital bed on the bottom floor, my wife would leave for a week at a time to go up to gamble in Northern California with her sister and I was there alone. Okay. Now, I can prove this because there were people who came to visit me and things like that, but I didnt feel the need to. My wife has some serious problems. Seven years after we the divorce was final she brought me back into court again, made a number of false statements that Id concealed things from her. The court decided I hadnt. They appointed a special (unintelligible) who decided I hadnt concealed anything from her. Okay? And I finally paid her $7,000 just to go away. Her attorneys fees were like $25,000, $30,000 dollars, so but nothing was found. I did nothing wrong and you have to understand Im going to tell you something that I would appreciate not go into your article. Union-Tribune: Just to be clear, back on the record. KREEP: Sure. Union-Tribune: So you never abused her? KREEP: I never touched her in anger ever. Did I raise my voice at her when she would be screaming at me and when shed be throwing things? She threw a suitcase across the hotel room. Okay? And, yeah, I raised my voice to her. Never touched her in anger. Union-Tribune: Let me a secondary kind of question I had about this issue is in that same CityBeat story another thing thats in the news, obviously, is journalism fake news, anger towards journalism, journalists as enemy of the people, all of this is in the zeitgeist at this moment. CityBeat shared this email from you in response to their questions. I just want to get your reaction to it. So this is an email you wrote. You really, really in caps hate me or youre really again in caps being paid a lot to go after me by the downtown crowd. I hope that your bootlicking is getting you the crumbs from the table of the powers that be that you are seeking as your journalistic integrity and accuracy certainly is lacking. KREEP: I forget the name of the guy who wrote that article and [Editors note: Not only does Dave Maass dispute Judge Kreeps following claim, he provided an email exchange that backed up his version of events.] Union-Tribune: Dave Maass. KREEP: Dave Maass, thats it. He approached me and said that if I would feed him dirt on the judges in Downtown San Diego, he wouldnt write any more negative stories about me and I said no, I wont do that. I mean I may have specific and this was right when I first got on the bench. Okay? I may have specific feelings about some of the inappropriate activities that go on in the courthouse, and theres more than a few, but I Im not somebody whos trying to buy my way out of something. Besides, I didnt trust him anyway. So yes. I mean do you know that they had a reporter sitting in my courtroom apparently for weeks trying to find something that they could write about me. That came out later. Okay, I guess I must be awfully important to have all these people so interested in getting me off the bench to go to those to go to those lengths. Union-Tribune: But those are public courtrooms, right? KREEP: Of course they are. How have you do you put reporters in courtrooms on for no specific case to sit there hoping the judge will say something bad? Union-Tribune: I dont oversee the reporters, so KREEP: Well do you think its a good use of resources? Union-Tribune: Id have to take that situation on a case-by-case basis, but KREEP: Okay. Well, I think you get my point, though. Mr. Maass decided that I was a good one to try to pressure into giving him information. I wouldnt do it. Thats just not my way. I will speak directly to people about my feelings about them and tell them what I think about them or I will just avoid them. Lifes too short. Union-Tribune: Whats your view of the media in terms of how its covered your courtroom? Do you think that youve that the issues that have been handled in your courtroom apart from your politics and your election has the media covered you accurately and fairly? KREEP: No. You want me to get specific? Union-Tribune: Sure. [Editors note: Greg Moran said that Kreep has never spoken to him about his earlier coverage.] KREEP: Well your Greg Moran he wrote an article last year saying that I was mysteriously off work from July 1st to the end of November, something like that. He based it on comments by two attorneys. Kind of interesting. If you go back and look at the calendars, I was in the courtroom every except for holidays or weekends, I was in the courtroom every workday in all of July up through the 11th of August. I then went on my honeymoon, which was previously scheduled. Now, the courts dont comment about when where judges are and when because if theyre ill or something like that its confidential. Its not a matter of public. So I got back in the last week of August, went back to work, started September and then I came down with a very serious potentially life threatening disease and I was off work til the third from the first part of September until the third week of November. Thats all documents in doctors in doctors reports. Okay. Then I came back and because of the I mean I actually they actually had to do go into my brain and remove tissue to make sure that I didnt have a life threatening problem. Thats the only way they could finally do it and I can produce all the medical records you want if you really care about that, but I went back to work the Monday before Thanksgiving, but because of my health issues the judges didnt put me back into the courtroom until I think it was November 30th or December 1st I forget which, but I was there handling court cases that needed to be worked on default judgments, judgments that had been submitted from other judges that they didnt have time to handle, PCDs, probable cause declarations, you know, warrants. I was doing all that for those two weeks. The font for the signage on the old courthouse is a classic from the 1950"s and 60's. John Gibbins / U-T Union-Tribune: So Gary, like when when something like that happens and lets set aside the reporting leading off just for a second when you read that story did you call Greg and say oh, man, you totally have it wrong, heres what happened, let me fill you in? KREEP: No, I didnt because I had talked to him about other stories that had written and it didnt seem to do any good, so I just stopped talking to you to you guys. It was whats Repardo Repard? Union-Tribune: Me, Pauline Repard. Pauline Repard. KREEP: Oh, Im sorry. Union-Tribune: Thats okay. KREEP: I didnt realize that was you. She called me and we talked, and I agreed to talk to her because she promised me a square shot. I dont care. You know, you write bad things about me thats fine. You give me a fair shake thats all I want. Union-Tribune: Yeah. No, Im just trying to like to be fair like if the guy got the story wrong. KREEP: Mr. Moran Union-Tribune: Like there was, you know, confidentiality, it was difficult to find where you were, whatever, or he he did weak reporting. Im not saying he did, but if any of those things happened, but if you read the story and it was wrong, it just seems to me like you would call up and say oh, my gosh, lets get this correct. I would like to make sure the facts are correct and that the record is correct and that Im giving you, the reporter the courtesy of setting you straight. KREEP: He wrote an article early in the year having nothing to do with me. It was an article about the Council on Judicial Performance talking about how they were revising the rules, and at the end he interviewed Leonard Simon who was the one who was behind a lot of the charges against me with the CJP. We subpoenaed his records, his communication with CJP. He refused to produce them. There was a hearing on it. The CJP itself argued against producing them because they have a habit of not producing all the records that they have that they gather on a judge, and so we didnt get out to it, but he quoted Leonard Simon saying its about time they get after this Gary Kreep, you know, hes a terrible guy, blah, blah, blah, and you can read it in his article. He never Union-Tribune: He wrote something about you, and he didnt call you or give you a chance to respond? KREEP: Nope. He was just quoting somebody who obviously wanted me off the bench. Union-Tribune: And you never got to to give your side? KREEP: No, I didnt even know the article had been written til months afterwards. I mean I I dont check you know, I dont do Google search on myself on a maybe once a year. Union-Tribune: It seems like, as a practice in general, we need a better way to communicate if things are being written and you know, it could be that Greg is placing calls and theyre going to the judicial administration and theyre (overtalking). KREEP: Gregs had my personal phone number for years. I havent changed it. He talked to me during the so-called Tea Party Marine case. Union-Tribune: Okay. KREEP: Ive talked to him. He has my cell phone. He just didnt call it, so Union-Tribune: Interesting. KREEP: But and again, I didnt know about the article til months afterwards. So you know, what are you going to do then? Dredge up the story again and have a reprint of it about how Union-Tribune: Well, were talking about it now. I mean you know, because it still seems germane in some way. KREEP: It is to me, but then what do I know? Union-Tribune: When people hear the name Judge Gary Kreep, what do you want them to think? KREEP: Hard working, someone who cares about people. If you were to talk to the attorneys who appear before me regularly, the plaintiffs attorneys will say that I dont rule in their favor often enough because sometimes they screw up and I and let me explain one thing. Unlawful detainer law is unique in California law. The normal Rules of Civil Procedure do not apply. All right? Where you sue somebody, you serve them, theyve got 30 days to respond. Not in unlawful detainer law. They have five days to respond. I get when they file a motion, most of the motions are on five days. I get a 150-page motions for summary judgment filed five days before the hearing on them, and thats legal. All right? And I have to go through all of that. Okay? So its you take a normal case thatll take you a year, two years to get to trial statutorily an unlawful detainer trial has to go to trial within 20 days after the trial date is requested. Thats the law. Okay? The upside the other side of it is that if the plaintiffs landlords make one mistake in their mandatory language of the lawsuit the law the case has to be dismissed. Thats the law. Not my saying it, thats the law and so Im required to deal with people, and probably half the people who come before me are pro pers. They have no idea whats going on, and I have to deal with that and so it can make it very difficult because why am I here? I mean you know, they just have no idea. They get served a stack of papers and they come to court and they dont understand anything and they havent read the papers. A lot of times they dont know they have to file an answer excuse me within five days of being served. You know, thats a pretty close time. Now, unlike other types of civil cases, California law provides for what are called Shriver Counsel named after Maria Shriver and those are civil attorneys who are provided free of charge to pro per defendants in unlawful detainer cases, but they are rules. If the case is from North County no Shriver Counsel. If theres not an attorney for the plaintiff if the plaintiffs pro per no Shriver Counsel. So I wind up with a lot of trials where its pro pers versus pro pers. Neither of them has any idea how to do the case and Im not knocking them. Theyre not attorneys. I try to explain to them, you know, Im not a doctor. When I had my quadruple bypass and died twice a few years ago, you know, it wasnt me operating on myself. I wouldnt have known how to do it. You dont know how to operate this procedure. Okay? And I have to be very patient and explain to them what theyve got to show and whats wrong with their case, and its very difficult sometimes and because of the way the law is set up, I am mandated to dismiss a lot of lawsuits because theres errors in the paperwork. If the three-day notice doesnt have certain language, if the 30-day notice doesnt have certain language, if the 60-day notice doesnt have certain language, if the 90-day notice doesnt have certain languages the cases are have to be dismissed because under the code the court does not have jurisdiction to hear them if this mandatory language is not in the paperwork. So I get a lot of angry people... you dismissed my case. Im sorry, sir. I try to explain to them whats wrong and I say I have to, I dont have the choice. Okay, so I wind up with angry people. Then on the other side so Union-Tribune: And these are like typically landlords or KREEP: Yes, theyre all landlords. Union-Tribune: And theyre used to having stuff go through? Theyre surprised? I mean is that the deal or KREEP: Well, the attorneys know that they have to do their job. Every but on a regular basis Ill get an attorney in there whose never done one of these before, has no idea what theyre doing and that basically they you know, its like a wink and a nod. Well you know, your honor, you can you know, you can no, Im required to comply with the law and so I get some attorneys mad at me because they dont want me to enforce the law. Now, I enforce the law against the defendants, too. You know, if they havent done something theyre supposed to do and they want me to give them slack standard a lot of the cases go by whats called default. No defendant shows up whats called a default prove up. (Unintelligible) and then the day before the lockout, which is about three weeks later, I need to stay the lockout. Well you didnt answer the lawsuit. Well I didnt understand what I was supposed to do, you know, and then we get into that and I have very definite philosophies on that. I think that people should be given a trial on the merits, not just get nailed by them messing up, but they have to show theyre really trying to correct it, not just wait three weeks and then come in on the last day, but there are attorneys who theres Shriver Counsel, then theres a group of defense attorneys who specialize in those types of cases and so I mean I have 21 I have 21 trials tomorrow morning. That may not sound like a lot to you, but even a default prove up takes 10 or 15 minutes. So think about that. Yvonne Campos is a friend of mine. She will tell you, as she has told other people in my presence, that when Im not there it takes three judges to cover me because Im a workaholic. I work through the calendar. I push the calendar. I have come up with shortcuts not legal shortcuts, but shortcuts on how we do things and we move the calendar because weve got this problem. The plaintiffs are entitled to a trial within 21 days of requesting a trial date, statutory and if they dont get it within their 20 days they can file an appeal and then were going to the appellate court saying well youre not doing what youre supposed to, you know, so then we have to put more judges into it or something like that. Because its me, my law my courtroom clerk, one backroom clerk and a part-time second backroom clerk. Thats it and if you look at a lot of these unlawful detainer cases, they have 100 pleadings in them 100 pleadings. I mean youre talking about a lot of paperwork, and it takes a lot of time and because what happen was before I was handling just three three of the courts South Bay, East East County and here. In September we started handling North County, which was another like 20 percent of cases. Its a very onerous amount of work and Im not saying Im wonderful. Its just that I and my staff have worked out ways to do it. Union-Tribune: I want to be mindful of your time. Im curious, though KREEP: I will stay a few minutes past, but I have to be out of here no later than 1:15. Union-Tribune: Yeah, Im going to have to get up and go, everyone, so I apologize. I have to run. Yeah, yeah. No, 1:00 is a good ending time. Im curious about bail reform in the news now with this new bill heading to the governors desk. He sounds like he will sign it. What are your thoughts on getting rid of cash bail and giving judges more discretion? KREEP: I dont do criminal. I havent done criminal on a regular basis since 2013. I have concerns about it. I know from talking to my friends that are criminal judges and I have a lot of friends that are criminal judges theyre concerned about it. I mean you know, when everything became a misdemeanor instead of not everything, but a significant number of cases were knocked down from felonies to misdemeanors and now were getting according to what Ive heard and I dont know this. Okay? Im just telling you, you know, what Ive heard. Were getting swamped with motions all over the state. The courts getting swamped with motions to reduce these former felony drug convictions to misdemeanors so that people can are able to do this, that or the other. I dont know. (Judge) Brown keeps appointing new judges. We have, last time I heard, 10 judges in this county without any staff because weve had to cut a quarter of our clerk staff or thereabouts in the last couple years due to budget cuts. Now, those 10 judges, they, you know, vacation, illness, you know, official business, they fill in, but you know, as well as I do youve seen the stories about how you have to drive 100 miles I think its in San Bernardino County to get to the nearest courthouse. Weve closed Ramona. Okay. We closed Oceanside. Okay. We closed Escondido. Okay. We closed two of the courthouses over here and moved everybody down to, you know, the big building at 1100. Okay. Thats really great, but talk about talk to some of the civil trial the unlimited the big cases and find out how long its taking them to get to trial. Okay. I deal all the time with cases in UD [Unlawful Detainer] that are related to probate, family law, TRO, temporary restraining orders and unlimited cases. Cases people try to game the system. I dont know if you understand that, but theyll go to get a TRO so they dont have to go to UD. So they kick their tenant out by saying well hes abusing me, hes harassing me, whatever that way they dont have to go through a UD trial. They get a TRO. They go to UD to try to get around a family law order you know, who gets custody of the house, for instance. Same thing in probate. I get people coming in on probate cases, one side or the other, trying to get around the probate orders and we have to so every time we get one of those cases, if I know theres another case involved, I call the judge and we talk about it seeing whats going on. Theres a lot of people gaming the system on both sides of the system. These deputies work at the Central Jail in downtown San Diego. John Gibbins Union-Tribune: So and the case bail thing, though, youre working back toward? KREEP: Well I dont know enough about it to tell you, but it concerns I know that the judges I work with, that I have lunch with theyre concerned about it. Union-Tribune: What are their concerns? KREEP: At some point in time you have to be able to well I really cant speak for them. I really shouldnt. Okay? Things they tell me. I mean I can tell you theyre concerned, but I Im not comfortable. Union-Tribune: Well not name names, but just generally. I think this is an important discussion to have. I mean Yeah. Studies show that California has the highest median bail in American, and yet it doesnt have better rates of getting people to trial than states with much less onerous bail. So shouldnt that matter? KREEP: Well, again, youre talking about an area that I dont handle cases in. So for me to say that I think this or I think that is a little presumptuous on my part. I think you need to talk to the criminal trial judges, and I and I think that some of them who would be happy to talk to you. Union-Tribune: Thats fair. So in your area of focus, what do you see is the biggest problem? If you were the dictator of the world, what whats the one area where you could just fix one super important thing? KREEP: You mean in unlawful detainers? Union-Tribune: Yeah. KREEP: California has a law thats in place now requiring the state courts to provide translators for every language. I had five Arabic speaking cases Arabic speaker cases in one month. I have Russian cases, Slovakian cases. Not Czechoslovakian, Slovakian. Southern Sudan Southern Sudanese Arabic, okay? We have San Diegos a melting pot. We dont have the translators that we need. Nobodys providing the translators, and so were seeing trials put off for weeks. Now, you can say well thats good for the for the tenant because theyre not getting evicted, but its not because if it is just a delaying tactic, you know, thats one thing, okay, but if you put off a trial a month because you cannot get a Russian a court certified Russian interpreter, okay, guess what? The rents going to go much higher. All right, so these people are going to wind up owing more money and, as you may or may not know, once you are evicted, unless theres a stipulation to mask the case, which is a whole other area that you dont have time for me to explain it to you, then it goes on your credit record and theres these companies that buy records of people who have been convicted, and they sell them to not to the small mom and pop you know, somebody owns one house and thats it but to the big commercial ones that own thousands of units. They sell them to those people and how do you think how much do you think its going to be for someone whos on that eviction list to be able to rent a new place? I mean I get people in here all the time saying I havent been able to rent a place in four years because my name is still on a you know, a four year old case, and I shouldnt have been on that case. Okay and, you know, I dont know anything about what happened four years ago up in North County. I would do something about that. There has to be a way to provide language services for these people that are because we have very good Spanish language interpreters. Really we do. We have some good Vietnamese language interpreters. The rest eh, and its a problem and its going to become more of a problem. I mean I can tell you that I see a lot more Middle Eastern sounding names coming in my courtroom all the time, people moving here or theyre buying property because they have money or theyre moving here to get out of some country or for the American Dream or whatever. You know, its becoming an increasing problem, and its just going to get worse until somebody comes up with a good solution and the state of California aint doing it. Union-Tribune: Any other questions? No. Thank you for coming in. Do you have a 30-second close, an elevator pitch of sorts about why voters should choose you over your opponent? KREEP: Despite the fact that a number of people dont like my politics, a number of the judges who are supporting me this really is totally on politics, but theyre supporting me because they know I do a good job and if Im and its going to be tough and this sounds conceited, but according to the judges that I work with, its going to be tough to replace me because of my work ethic and its appreciated by my superiors. My supervising judge has endorsed me because he knows the type of work I do. A number of judges have endorsed me because they know the work I do. Some of them just like me so they just like me so theyve endorsed me, but a number they dont agree with me, but they like the idea that Im a hard worker and they know that I get the job done. So Union-Tribune: Thanks again. KREEP: Thank you. The position of San Diego City Council president is powerful. The person sets the agenda for City Council meetings and thus controls which conversations take place when at City Hall. Its also a jumping-off point. Most of the prior council presidents Scott Peters, Ben Hueso, Tony Young, Todd Gloria and Sherri Lightner remain in politics. Peters is in Congress, Hueso is a state senator, and Gloria is in the state Assembly. Young was CEO of the American Red Cross San Diego/Imperial County Chapter before co-founding RISE San Diego, an urban leadership nonprofit. Only Lightner has faded into the background. Which brings us to the two-term sitting council President Myrtle Cole. Emphasis on sitting. Ostensibly, Cole has been campaigning for re-election to her City Council District 4 seat for months. But she pulled such a disappearing act in her district in the primary election that she actually finished second to ACLU criminal justice advocate and political newcomer Monica Montgomery, an ex-Cole staffer who has worked for Mayor Kevin Faulconer and also for Gloria, when he was briefly interim mayor. Amazingly, no incumbent City Council member has lost re-election since 1992, shortly after the city moved to district-only elections. Perhaps her constituents will keep that streak alive and re-elect Cole, who has support from San Diego labor leaders. Or perhaps her constituents will keep their wits about them and realize that its time for a new community leader. In separate interviews with The San Diego Union-Tribune Editorial Board, Cole and Montgomery, who are fellow Democrats, couldnt have come across as more different. Cole seemed almost aloof. She read her accomplishments from a sheet of paper and was surprisingly reluctant to take stands on big issues from the former Qualcomm Stadium site to subpoena power for the citys Community Review Board on Police Practices to district-only elections for the San Diego Unified School District to rent control. Advertisement Asked for her stance on the state rent control measure on the November ballot, Cole equivocated until her chief of staff said, You dont have a position yet. Yeah, Cole said, thats my position. By comparison, Montgomery was quicker with answers, deeper in thought and more engaged as present in our interview as in the district. She leans no on both Mission Valley proposals and is yes on subpoena powers, district-only elections and rent control. One knock on Cole is she focuses too much on the city instead of her southeastern San Diego neighborhoods. Yes, the council presidency carries extra responsibility, but then isnt it even more inexcusable that Cole essentially ignored the citys Community Review Board on Police Practices for so long? For nearly two years after a board member from Coles council district resigned and moved to Texas, Cole didnt appoint a replacement from her district, which is populated primarily by people of color. Worse, in July 2016, Cole, a former police officer, had to issue a public apology amid calls to resign after she said at a council meeting that racial profiling happens because blacks are shooting blacks. In her apology, she pleaded with residents, Please work with me to create solutions and improve relations between the police force and the community they serve. Coles had a chance to work with her community. Lets give it now to someone who is more responsive and more willing to take stands on difficult issues. We disagree with Montgomery on rent control, for one thing, but shes the better choice. She quit her job as a Cole aide the day after her comments about racial profiling. That shows how passionate Montgomery is. It also shows she deserves the biggest office in that office. Vote Monica Montgomery for City Council. For the full transcript and audio of Coles interview, go here. For the full transcript and audio of Montgomerys interview, go here. Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion --> Twitter: @sdutIdeas Facebook: San Diego Union-Tribune Ideas & Opinion Re Plan eases mercury regulations (Oct. 1): Every day the Trump administration does something totally egregious to the citizens of this country. And it gets buried on Page 4. The Trump administration is proposing weakening or eliminating the regulations that limit mercury from coal-fired power plants, at the specific request of Robert Murray, chief executive of Murray Energy Corp., one of the largest coal companies in the country, and a major donor to the Trump campaign. And Robert Murray is also the former boss of Andrew Wheeler, now acting administrator of the EPA. Talk about pay for play government. But the story gets even better. In a 2014 court case challenging the mercury regulation, Brett Kavanaugh wrote the dissenting opinion, highlighting the regulations cost to the coal industry. This proves that Kavanaugh is just another right-wing political hack who will do the bidding of Trump. Where is the concern for the thousands of children and fetuses who will have neurological damage caused by mercury? What happened to Trumps promise of beautiful clean coal? A total lie like everything else he says or tweets. Wake up, voters. Mark Falcon Advertisement Rancho Penasquitos The article Plan Eases Mercury Regulations (Oct. 1) notes that the move is the latest and one of the most significant in the Trump Administrations steady march of rollbacks of Obama-era health and environmental regulations on polluting industries, particularly coal. Indeed, it seems that the acronym MAGA so beloved by Trump supporters no longer stands for Make America GREAT Again but for Make America GROSS Again. David J Dick San Marcos 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. Readers: Various HOA bills passed the Legislature were approved by Gov. Jerry Brown and will become law in 2019. Future columns will provide more detailed discussions of these new laws] Sept. 30 was the last day for the governor to sign or veto bills passed by the Legislature in 2018. Many bills affecting homeowners associations were signed, and two were vetoed. SB 261 - This bill, signed by the governor on Sept. 27, amends Civil Code 4040 to allow homeowners to use email to request the HOA send communications via email to the homeowner, and it amends Civil 4360 to require 28 days (instead of the current 30) notice to homeowners for proposed rule changes. SB 721 - HOAs exempted. SB 721 requires multilevel residential properties to conduct inspections of balconies and other elevated elements every six years. Signed into law by the governor on Sept. 17, the final version of the bill exempts HOAs from its requirements. Advertisement SB 1016 - Time of Usage (TOU) Meters. SB 1016, signed by the governor on Sept. 13, adds a new Section 4745.1 to the Civil Code, protecting the installation of TOU meters for electric vehicle charging stations. HOAs may impose reasonable requirements on the requesting owner. AB 2912- New Association Financial Requirements. AB 2912 requires boards to review the HOA financials monthly instead of the current quarterly requirement. The new law, approved by the governor on Sept. 14, requires all HOAs to have fidelity (dishonesty) insurance in place. It also requires documentation of board authority for expenditures over $10,000 or 5 percent of the HOAs budget, whichever is lower. SB 1128 and 1265 - vetoed. Two of the most troubling bills for California HOAs this year were Senate Bills 1128 and 1265. SB 1265 would have made it much harder for common interest development associations to preserve elections if technical errors occurred, and would have outlawed the ability of association members to adopt reasonable board eligibility standards. SB 1128 originally made some technical and sensible changes to the Davis-Stirling Act, but late in the legislative process was amended, adding the harmful content of SB 1265. On Sunday Sept. 30, Gov. Brown vetoed both SB 1128 and SB 1265 with identical veto messages stating in part that each bill takes a once-size-fits-all (sic) approach, but not all homeowner associations are alike and adding If changes to an election process are needed, they should be resolved by the members of that specific community. The election procedures from Civil Code 5100-5135 are complicated, applying to all HOAs regardless of size, and necessitate guidance from experienced and qualified managers and legal counsel. HOAs still should consider adopting reasonable board eligibility requirements to make sure associations are governed by the best available volunteers. A few other technical bills were passed correcting typos, addressing housing density requirements, and timeshares, but will not affect most associations already in operation. To review California law or legislation, the official site is www.leginfo.legislature.ca.gov. Click on California Law then Civil Code to review the Davis-Stirling Act, which begins at Section 4000. Click on Bill Information to review current or past bills. Although many law firms and organizations have web sites offering law and legislation references, this is the official California web site. Kelly G. Richardson, Esq. is a Fellow of the College of Community Association Lawyers and Senior Partner of Richardson Ober PC, a California law firm known for community association advice. Submit potential column questions to Kelly@Richardsonober.com. Past columns at www.HOAHomefront.com. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that he had ordered his ministers to stop receiving consulting services from U.S. firm McKinsey, after the deal came under fire from the main opposition. Last month, Finance Minister Berat Albayrak, who is also Erdogan's son-in-law, announced that Turkey had decided to work with McKinsey as part of efforts to implement a new medium-term economic programme. Kemal Kilicdaroglu, the leader of the main opposition Republican People's Party (CHP), this week accused Erdogan of siding with U.S. firms at a time when relations with Washington have been hit by the detention of a U.S. evangelical pastor in Turkey and other issues. "This person (Kilicdaroglu) is trying to corner us by asking questions about a consultancy firm that has been paid in full to help our economic management," Erdogan told members of his ruling AK Party. "In order to not give him that chance ... I told all my ministers to no longer receive consultancy from them (McKinsey)." McKinsey was not immediately available for comment. Search Keywords: Short link: 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. Melania Trump concluded her trip to Africa on Saturday by voicing support for her husband's embattled Supreme Court nominee and urging people to pay less attention to what she wears. The U.S. first lady said the message of her tour to Ghana, Malawi, Kenya and Egypt was to show the world that "we care." She dismissed reports about alleged derogatory comments reportedly made by President Donald Trump about African countries and said the issue had not come up on her visit. The stylish former model also said she did not always agree with her husbands tweets and gave him her opinion directly, even though he does not always follow her advice. The four-country trip was a coming out of sorts for the first lady in the world stage. It was her first major solo trip abroad and a rare example of a time when she has answered questions by reporters. Speaking in Cairo on the tour's final leg, Trump praised Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh and said she was glad he and his accuser had a chance to be heard following allegations of sexual assault. "Im glad that Dr Ford was heard. Im glad that Judge Kavanaugh was heard, FBI investigation was done - is completed - and (the) Senate voted," Trump said, referring to psychology professor Christine Blasey Ford who had accused him of sexually assaulting her. Kavanaugh has denied all the allegations. Trump declined to say whether she believed Ford. "We need to help all the victims, no matter what kind of abuse they had," she said. "Im against any kind of abuse." Kavanaugh looked likely to win final Senate confirmation on Saturday, weathering the sexual assault allegations and attacks on his character and temperament. His confirmation would give the U.S. president a clear win in his drive to cement conservative dominance of the high court. Trump flew to Cairo from Nairobi earlier on Saturday on the last stage of her visit to Africa, a continent her husband once referred to derisively. President Trump has been quoted as saying immigrants from Africa came from "shithole countries". He denied making the remark. Trump said that her husband's alleged derogatory comment about African countries did not come up on her trip. "Nobody discussed that with me, and I never heard him saying those comments. And that was anonymous source and I would leave it at that." She said she did not always agree with her husband's tweets, and that she tells him that. She also said she wished that people would focus on what she does, not what she wears, and then proceeded to pose for pictures in front of some of Egypt's greatest landmarks. The first lady came in for some criticism back home for her choice of headgear in Kenya. Some commentators said she had made a mistake by wearing a white pith helmet, a hat favoured by 19th century European colonialists, because of its association with the exploitation of Africans. Search Keywords: Short link: Valley Cottage, NY -- (SBWIRE) -- 10/05/2018 -- The competitive landscape of the market for garbage bag market is a mildly fragmented one marked with the presence of quite a few large players, according to a report published by Future Market Insights (FMI). The key players in the European garbage bag market are Novolasta, s.r.o Senkvice, Extrapack OOD, Pack-It BV, Achaika Plastic S.A., DAGOPLAST AS, Terdex GmbH, International Plastics, MirPack TM, Plasta.It, Primax D.o.o. The key players are now focusing on research and development of garbage bags in a bid to stay ahead in the competition. These market players are also trying to expand their geographical reach through collaborations with local players. So far as geography is considered, the market for European garbage bag has been segmented into Germany, France, Italy, Spain, U.K., Russia, and BENELUX. Belgium, Netherlands, and Luxembourg comprise BENELUX. Owing to the high demand of garbage bags across Europe, the market is anticipated to soar registering a good CAGR during the forecast period of 2016-2026. Request to Sample of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/reports/sample/rep-eu-3034 Demand for Biodegradable Garbage Bags to Bolster Growth The market has been segmented into five categories, so far as material is considered. The segments are, namely Low-density polyethylene (LDPE), Liner low-density polyethylene (LLDPE), High-density polyethylene (HDPE), Polypropylene (PP) and others. High-density polyethylene (HDPE) is characterized with high performance and extreme tensile strength and with these qualities, HDPE is forecasted to spearhead the European market for garbage bags. This segment accounted for 30% of the total revenue of the European market in 2016. During the forecast period of 2016-2026, the segment of HDPE is expected to expand at a CAGR of 5.5%. These garbage bags have the ability to contain substantial amount of weight and are cost effective as well. Such characteristics are expected to propel the market for high-density polyethylene garbage bags. Furthermore, high-density polyethylene or HDPE bags come with biodegradable versions. Biodegradable HDPE bags are made of domestic biomass material thereby diminishing oil dependency. They are also easy to recycle and are frequently used. Developed economies of countries like the U.K. and Germany are expected to fuel the demand for premium garbage bags. These premium garbage bags come with qualities like odour control and ability to stretch and people from the developed countries are willing to pay the extra bucks for these premium quality garbage bags. As such, the opportunity for such premium quality garbage bags are increasing. Stringent Government Policies to Restrain the Growth of the Market Governments of several European countries are implementing strict measure to contain the usage of plastic bags. They are imposing regulations wherein the sales of lightweight bags are getting restricted. Countries like Italy, France are applying a complete ban on HDPE plastics bags that are meant for single use. Such bans, though restraining the growth of the market for HDPE garbage bags, help to diminish the harmful effects of plastic bags on the environment, specifically the oceans, lakes, rivers, and the wildlife that inhabit in those water bodies. This is one of the major restraining factors of the European market for garbage bag. Read Comprehensive Overview with Methodology of Report @ https://www.futuremarketinsights.com/askus/rep-eu-3034 In addition, imposition of extra charges and increased taxation by the governments of various European countries on the use of plastic garbage bags are dampening the spirit of the market players. Customers are charged extra for plastic garbage bags at various convenience and retail stores. Such government initiatives play a major role in the diminishing the usage of plastic garbage bags in Europe. This review is as per the findings of a new report by Future Market Insights (FMI) titled, "Garbage Bag Market: Europe Industry Analysis & Opportunity Assessment, 2016-2026." U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump stands in front of the Sphinx as she visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump stands in front of the Sphinx as she visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump stands in front of the Sphinx as she visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump stands in front of the Sphinx as she visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump walks with Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany during her visit to the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump walks with Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany during her visit to the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump visits the Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump walks with Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany during her visit to the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS U.S. first lady Melania Trump walks with Egypt's Antiquities Minister Khaled El-Enany during her visit to the Great Pyramids in Cairo, Egypt, October 6, 2018. REUTERS In a divided UN, China blazes quiet path to power United Nations, United States, Oct 6 (AFP) Oct 06, 2018 Criticized by the White House for alleged interference in US politics, China has quietly blazed a path at the United Nations where it is, little by little, becoming one of the most influential members. At the Security Council, where China holds one of five permanent veto-wielding seats, its statements remain bland, often recalling fundamentals of the United Nations Charter such as national sovereignty and principles of non-interference. "In their interpretation, democracy is optional, as are human rights," a European diplomat said. Yet in peacekeeping missions or when jobs are available in the UN's executive arm at the New York headquarters, Beijing is increasingly making its presence felt. More than 2,500 Chinese military personnel wear UN blue helmets on peacekeeping missions in Libya, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. China has also "enormously increased" its voluntary financial contributions to the world body while the US under President Donald Trump has slashed its own financing, one diplomat said. Funding reports and missions allows China to buy some "influence" and push its candidates into top positions, the diplomat added, adding that to have Chinese in multiple roles across the UN provides "a source of information and influence." Another diplomat, also speaking anonymously, said: "China is taking power at the United Nations." - Spheres of influence - In 2017 and 2018, the Asian giant, which is economically expanding in Africa and elsewhere, became a key player on two major international crises: North Korea and Myanmar. Under American pressure, Beijing imposed unprecedented economic sanctions against Pyongyang, but with the hope that an accord on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula will lead to the departure of about 30,000 US troops based in South Korea -- China's behind-the-scenes strategy in the region. China meanwhile considers the crisis of Myanmar's Muslim minority Rohingya, 700,000 of whom fled a military crackdown to Bangladesh, as a bilateral issue between those two countries, and succeeded in preventing any firm Security Council action. - Power and erosion - European diplomats have noted that China's rise at the United Nations has come at a time when Beijing and Moscow are no longer automatically offering each other immediate reciprocal support. When Moscow makes use of its veto power, China sometimes simply abstains. Even in lower-profile situations, such as negotiating texts among the 15 Security Council members at the experts level, China is "present on all subjects," one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Beijing, for example, is now seeking to become chief author on texts about Afghanistan, replacing the Netherlands, which on January 1 will leave its non-permanent Security Council seat, several diplomats said. The vast majority of UN resolutions still are written by the United States, Britain or France -- a reflection of an older world order. China, like Russia, is rarely the author, although it was in charge of the Somalia file in the past. So how far will China go? Some say this is only the tip of the iceberg. "For China, multipolarity is just one stop on the underground metro line," one diplomatic source said. For Beijing, it then sees a Group of Two -- China and the US, and eventually, China will reign supreme, a diplomat said. "They are long-term players. They don't want to create a commotion," another diplomatic source said. The United States has imposed $250 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods and Trump has gone so far as alleging that Beijing is interfering in the November midterm elections in hopes of helping defeat his Republican Party due to his tough trade stance. Speaking to a US think tank last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed fears that his country was seeking to overtake the US as the pre-eminent world power. Concluding that China is about to seek hegemony, he said, is "a serious strategic misjudgment." System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28: 29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd0b46d8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe07e6668)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdd0b46d8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe07e6668)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdf2bb590)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe07e6668)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fe07e6668)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb741f88)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdf0db118)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdf0db118)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdc005750)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc1d0380)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdc005750)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc1d0380)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdc061a30)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc1d0380)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc1d0380)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fd80a26d8)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc4c5ad0)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc4c5ad0)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdcaa9fb8)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdca7c478)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdcaa9fb8)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdca7c478)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdca6ff78)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdca7c478)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdca7c478)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb741790)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc8d4380)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdc8d4380)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdbf73a78)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbb30e10)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdbf73a78)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbb30e10)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdbf54a68)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbb30e10)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbb30e10)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdbb77220)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbb77d00)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbb77d00)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 System error error: Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. context: ... 21: 22: 23: % foreach my $c (@categories) { 24: <%perl> 25: my $category_id = $c->get_id(); 26: my @stories = Bric::Biz::Asset::Business::Story->list ( { element_type_id=>1148, category_id=>$category_id , Order=> 'cover_date', publish_status => 't' , OrderDirection=> 'DESC' , Limit=>10 } ); 27: 28:
29: ... code stack: /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html:25 /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm:951 /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj:17 /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html:149 Can't call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25. Trace begun at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Exceptions.pm line 129 HTML::Mason::Exceptions::rethrow_exception('Can\'t call method "get_id" on an undefined value at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25.^J') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/dhandler.html line 25 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 160 HTML::Mason::Component::run_dynamic_sub('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdc051b20)', 'main') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 951 HTML::Mason::Request::call_dynamic('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc094650)', 'main') called at /var/cache/mason/obj/1784076917/main/smetimes/dhandler.html.obj line 17 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdc051b20)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1305 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 958 HTML::Mason::Request::call_next('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc094650)') called at /usr/local/bricolage/data/burn/stage/oc_1027/smetimes/autohandler_template.html line 149 HTML::Mason::Commands::__ANON__ at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Component.pm line 138 HTML::Mason::Component::run('HTML::Mason::Component::FileBased=HASH(0x7f3fdbf26e98)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1303 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 1295 HTML::Mason::Request::comp(undef, undef, undef) called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 484 eval {...} at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/Request.pm line 436 HTML::Mason::Request::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc094650)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 165 HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler::exec('HTML::Mason::Request::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdc094650)') called at /usr/share/perl5/HTML/Mason/ApacheHandler.pm line 831 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handle_request('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler=HASH(0x7f3fdb742180)', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbf3c3b8)') called at (eval 487) line 8 HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler::handler('HTML::Mason::ApacheHandler', 'Apache2::RequestRec=SCALAR(0x7f3fdbf3c3b8)') called at -e line 0 eval {...} at -e line 0 -- Those were the words of Djevdet Bey, the governor of Van Province in Ottoman Turkey, who on April 24, 1915 lead 20,000 Turkish soldiers and 10,000 Kurdish irregulars in the opening act of the genocide of Assyrians, Armenians and Greeks. Between 1915 and 1918 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 1,000,000 Greeks and 1,500,000 Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks and Kurds in a genocide that aimed at and nearly succeeded in destroying the Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire. Articles Genocide Memorials Genocide Recognition Videos Your browser does not support the video tag. The Untold Holocaust: the Story of the Assyrian Genocide Your browser does not support the video tag. The Cry Unheard: the Assyrian Genocide Your browser does not support the video tag. Turkey in 100 Seconds Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with genocide survivor Gawriye Dbe Masoud Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with genocide survivor Abdalla Goke Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with genocide survivor Cammo Yusef Hanna Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with genocide survivor Cammo Yusef Hanna (in Assyrian) Art and Pictures Pictures of Genocide Centennial Rallies Throughout the World Irish man pleads guilty in NY over Silk Road narcotics conspiracy New York, Oct 5 (AFP) Oct 05, 2018 A 30-year-old Irish man pled guilty in New York on Friday to narcotics conspiracy over the now-defunct "dark web" marketplace Silk Road, just months after being extradited to the United States. US prosecutors say Gary Davis, who went by the alias "Libertas," was a Silk Road administrator in 2013 -- paid a weekly salary to carry out duties that included resolving disputes between drug dealers and buyers on the site. The Wicklow man was arrested in Ireland on January 2014 and extradited to the United States in July, where he had faced a battery of charges. On Friday, he pled guilty in a Manhattan federal court to one count of conspiracy to distribute narcotics, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, after cutting a plea deal. He is expected to be sentenced on January 17, 2019. "As he admitted today, Gary Davis served as an administrator who helped run the Silk Road marketplace," said Manhattan US Attorney Geoffrey Berman. "The purported anonymity of the dark web is not a protective shield from prosecution," he added. Until the FBI shut it down in October 2013, the US government called Silk Road "the most sophisticated and extensive criminal marketplace on the Internet," used by vendors in more than 10 countries in North America and Europe. Texan mastermind Ross Ulbricht was convicted and sentenced to life in prison in 2015 for running the online enterprise that sold $200 million in drugs worldwide. Operating under the alias "Dread Pirate Roberts," his trial was considered a landmark case in the murky world of online crime and government surveillance. Avoiding climate chaos means 'unprecedented' change: UN report Incheon, South Korea, Oct 5 (AFP) Oct 05, 2018 The UN's 195-nation climate science body plunged deep into overtime Saturday to finalise a report outlining stark options -- all requiring a global makeover of unprecedented scale -- for avoiding climate chaos. Working through the night, the closed-door huddle in rain-soaked Incheon, South Korea, was to convene a plenary later in the day to hammer through a "Summary for Policymakers." Can humanity cap global warming at 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit)? What will it take and how much will it cost? Would climate impacts be significantly less severe than in a 2C world? The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was tasked with these questions by the framers of the landmark 2015 Paris Agreement, which calls for halting the rise in temperatures to "well below" 2C -- and 1.5C if possible. That aspirational goal -- tacked on to the treaty at the last minute -- caught climate scientists off-guard. "Our understanding of 1.5C was very limited, all but two or three of the models we had then were based on a 2C target," said Henri Waisman, a senior researcher at the Institute for Sustainable Development and International Relations in Paris, and one of the report's 86 authors. Based on more than 6,000 peer-reviewed studies, the 20-page bombshell will make for grim reading when it is released on Monday. "Leaders will have nowhere to hide once this report comes out," said Jennifer Morgan, Executive Director of Greenpeace International, and an observer at the talks. - 'Negative emissions' - At current rates of greenhouse gas emissions, Earth will zoom past the 1.5C signpost around 2040, and as early as 2030. After only one degree of warming, the world has seen deadly storms engorged by rising seas and a crescendo of heatwaves, drought, flooding and wild fires made more intense by climate change. Without a radical course change, we are headed for an unliveable 3C or 4C hike. And yet, humanity has avoided action for so long that any pathway to a climate-safe world involves wrenching economic and social change "unprecedented in terms of scale," the report said. "Some people say the 1.5C target is impossible," said Stephen Cornelius, WWF-UK's chief adviser for climate change, and a former IPCC negotiator. "But the difference between possible and impossible is political leadership." The report is set to lay out four scenarios that could result in Earth's average surface temperature stabilising at 1.5C. The most ambitious -- dubbed the "low energy scenario" -- would see a radical drawdown in energy consumption coupled with a rapid shift away from fossil fuels and a swift decline in CO2 emissions starting in 2020. It would not require a temporary "overshoot" of the 1.5C threshold, and does not depend on sucking vast quantities of CO2 out of the air, known as carbon dioxide removal, or "negative emissions." A second pathway emphasises the need for changing our consumption patterns -- eating less meat, travelling less, giving up cars, etc. -- along with an overhaul of agricultural and land-use practices, including the protection of forests. - Running interference - The final scenario compensates for a "business-as-usual" economy and lifestyle by allowing a large overshoot of the 1.5C target. It also calls for burning a lot of biofuels and capturing the emitted CO2, a system known by its acronym, BECCS. Indeed, an area twice the size of India would have to be planted in biofuel crops. This "P4" plan also assumes that some 1200 billion tonnes of CO2 -- 30 years' worth of emissions at current rate -- will be socked away underground. Signficantly, and for the first time, the UN panel quantified changes in the use of coal, oil and gas. For the low-energy demand pathway, for example, coal consumption would drop 78 percent by 2030, and 97 percent by mid-century. Oil would decline by 37 and 74 percent, respectively, and gas by 25 and 74 percent. The pathway of least resistance, by contrast, would still see nearly a doubling of oil use by 2030, and a 37 jump in gas. Coal is a big loser in all the scenarios. The US delegation -- the first since Donald Trump took office to work on an IPCC report -- did not throw a monkey wrench into the process, as many here had feared. "The United States is quite constructive, though I don't think they want that said out loud," said on delegate who asked not to be named. Besides special reports, the IPCC has issued five major Assessment Reports that serve as the scientific foundation for UN climate talk. The next one is due in 2022. 'The Children Gone to Poland' traces N. Korea war orphans abroad Busan, South Korea, Oct 6 (AFP) Oct 06, 2018 A new documentary sheds light on the little-known story of North Korean war orphans sent to Poland, where they formed an unlikely bond with their teachers before their traumatic return home. "The Children Gone to Poland" -- which premiered Saturday at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea -- traces the journey of the 1,200 orphans sent from the North during the 1950-53 Korean War. The devastating conflict, which sealed the division of the flashpoint peninsula, killed at least half a million civilians and left at least 100,000 children without parents. The North's then-leader Kim Il Sung sent thousands of orphans to countries including the Soviet Union, Hungary and Poland from 1951, pleading with his communist allies to take care of them. The group of 1,200 orphans arrived in 1953 at the small, forested village of Plakowice, where they lived in a former hospital building for six years under the care of Polish teachers. Famed South Korean actress Choo Sang-mee, who directed the film, visits Poland to find traces of the war orphans, alongside a North Korean defector with her own distressing childhood memories of separation from her family. "Trains full of children arrived (over) several days," retired teacher Jozef Borowiec said in the film, adding many were in a "state of shock and trauma" after witnessing the horrors of war. - 'Heartbreaking memories' - The orphans, infested with lice and suffering from disease, insisted on sleeping under the bed in fear of the bombing campaigns they lived through at home, while constantly screaming and crying in their sleep. But they quickly learned Polish and formed bonds with their teachers and caregivers, who knew from personal experience the horrors of war. "Back then, we also went through horrible wars and had many heartbreaking memories ourselves," Borowiec, 91, told Choo. "We told them to call us mum and dad... We wanted to do everything to help these (North Korean) orphans erase the memories of war and have a sense of family in Poland," he said, wiping away tears. Old photos and videos showed the orphans laughing, studying Polish, dancing and singing, or playing with teachers and other Polish children -- a typical childhood denied in their homeland. The teachers soon got to know each of them -- whose names they tearfully remember even decades later. "The children were brought here as part of international propaganda (to cement diplomatic ties)," Jolanta Krysowata, a Polish journalist who wrote a book about the North Korean orphans, says in the film. "But the teachers developed real compassion for these orphans... the human feelings they shared with the children had little to do with politics," said Krysowata, whose book inspired the latest documentary. - Forced return - North Korea eventually ordered the children to return and join the country's post-war reconstruction efforts, prompting some to lie on the snow and even pour cold water over themselves in a desperate bid to fall sick and avoid repatriation. Many sent letters back to the teachers, describing their days in Poland as the best time of their lives and bemoaning the backbreaking labour they faced back home. One child even died during a failed attempt to illegally cross the border to neighbouring China, after sending multiple letters begging Borowiec to take him back. All letters came to a sudden stop in 1961 as the North's regime limited contact with the outside world. The film juxtaposes the fate of the orphans with those of today's North Korean child defectors, traumatised by the harrowing escape from their homeland. The impoverished, isolated state is still under the tight grip of the Kim dynasty that has ruled through three generations with an iron fist and has little tolerance for dissident. The film shows young North Korean refugees in Seoul telling their childhood memories of losing parents to famine, or witnessing the gruesome death of a sibling in a gulag. "There are always children who suffer at times of historic turmoil, but they are forgotten as the history eventually heals itself and moves on," said director Choo. "History erases the story of these children in its path to the future. But some children transform their pain to the strength to live, and they grow." Thousands bid farewell to Lithuanian anti-Soviet guerilla hero Vilnius, Oct 6 (AFP) Oct 06, 2018 Thousands of Lithuanians paid their last tributes to anti-Soviet guerilla war hero Adolfas Ramanauskas at a state funeral Saturday, months after his remains were identified solving a 60-year-old riddle. Crowds gathered along sunny Vilnius streets to bid farewell to the fighter nicknamed Vanagas ('The Hawk'), the most senior commander of the 1944-1953 Lithuanian partisan resistance movement against the Soviet occupation. "One person was so dangerous to the system that they tried not only to destroy him and his family but also to hide his identity. They failed," President Dalia Grybauskaite said as the flag-draped coffin was lowered into the grave. Prime Minister Saulius Skvernelis said the state funeral was a day of "historic justice". Prompted by Soviet terror, killings, mass deportations to Siberia and forced conscription into the Red Army, the partisan movement started in 1944. A teacher before the war, Vanagas joined the "Forest Brothers" the following year. Enjoying broad support in the countryside, the movement numbered around 20,000 people in its initial stages, but the number fell dramatically and by 1952 only several hundred active partisans remained. After several years in hiding, Vanagas was captured by Soviet authorities in 1956, brutally tortured. He was executed the following year and thrown into an unidentified mass grave. It was only last year that Lithuanian archaeologists received a tip about the whereabouts of fighters executed for "political crimes". In June, a DNA test confirmed that remains found at a Vilnius cemetery earlier this year were those of Vanagas. "Now I will finally have his grave where I can go whenever I want to be with him. I think it will be a symbol of all freedom fighters," Vanagas' daughter Auksute Ramanauskaite Skokauskiene told Lithuania's public TV. The Soviets invaded the Baltic states in 1940 under their Molotov-Ribbentrop pact with Nazi Germany. Lithuania declared independence in March 1990 as the first republic to secede from the Soviet Union. It joined the EU and NATO in 2004. But the strained relations between Vilnius and Moscow remain stoked by conflicts over the past, notably Moscow's refusal to recognise its five-decade rule as occupation or the deportations as a crime. Bouzegaren (Morocco), October 5, 2018 (SPS) - Sahrawi political prisoner Yahia Mohamed Hafed Izza has initiated a 24-hour hunger strike in Bouzegaren prison, Morocco, in solidarity with a group of Sahrawi political prisoners on hunger strike at this prison and Tiflit prison in Khmisat, reported Wednesday the Collective of Sahrawi Human Rights Defenders (CODESA). According to the same source, several groups of Saharawi political prisoners have started hunger strikes in various Moroccan prisons to protest against their miserable situation and against the mistreatment inflicted by the administration of the Moroccan prisons. In this regard, more than 50 Sahrawi human rights defenders and political prisoners are in political detention in various Moroccan prisons as a result of unfair sentences ranging from life imprisonment to 3 years in prison. (SPS) 062/SPS/TRA Digital Health Week 2018: Transforming Healthcare through Digital Health Innovation View(s): The Cinnamon Grand Hotel would transform into a sea of digital health activity next week when it plays host to Digital Health Week 2018, starting October 7. The event organised by the Health Informatics Society of Sri Lanka (HISSL) and the Commonwealth Centre for Digital Health (CWCDH) is the largest Digital Health Event in the World in 2018. Over 600 delegates from over 60 countries would descend on the island from all continents of the globe for this once in a life time event. So how did it all come about? It was clear to me around the beginning of 2017, that Sri Lanka was ready for a major Digital Health Event. So we made a bid for the 10th Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics and at the same time invited the Asia eHealth Information Network to hold its annual conference and general assembly in Sri Lanka, explained Prof. Vajira Dissanayake, President of the HISSL and Chairman of CWCDH, in a media release. We were successful in the bid as well as in getting our invitation accepted. The rest is history because then everyone else wanted to come to Colombo. Of course it was not a simple thing to do, we had to travel, make our case and lobby for support. What worked in our favour was the track record that we have built over the past decade in holding major international conferences, he added. The event partners are the Sri Lanka Medical Association, the Commonwealth Medical Association, the Asia eHealth Information Network, and the International Medical Informatics Association. But, the releases said, the key to success was the support of the international development partners. They included the World Health Organization, the Asian Development Bank, Path, Norad, JLN, and USAID to name a few. The first part of the week, October 7 to 9 is devoted to the Conference on Interoperable Digital Health for Universal Health Coverage and 6th General Assembly of the Asia eHealth Information Network. This is where government officials, officials of intergovernmental agencies, and officials of international development partners meet. This merges seamlessly with the 10th Biennial Conference of the Asia Pacific Association for Medical Informatics (APAMI 2018) with a gala inaugural on October 9 to 11. In the lead up to APAMI 2018, leading academics from around the world, who are members of the International Medical Informatics Association also meet on October 8-9 for their Board and General Meetings giving a truly global dimension to the week. The week concludes on October 12 with a celebration of innovation and achievement where the joint conferences; 3rd Commonwealth Digital Health Conference and Digital Health Sri Lanka 2018, ends with the Commonwealth Digital Health Awards. On the sidelines of all these conferences is the Commonwealth Digital Health Expo which is open to all the delegates attending the conferences. Organising such an event would have been an enormous undertaking. Prof. Dissanayake said: HISSL has been organizing Digital Health Conferences since the year 2010. We had major conferences in 2014, 2015, 2016, and 2017. So organizing conferences is in our blood. But we must admit that we are truly exhausted this time. Organizing six conferences and an expo in one venue in one week tested us to our limits. Treasury Secy Dr. Samaratunga retires end 18 View(s): Sri Lankas Finance Ministry will face an unavoidable void and tug of war among few top officials for the high post, following the retirement of Ministry Secretary and eminent SLAS officer Dr. R.H.S Samaratunga scheduled for end December, official sources said. Dr. Samaratunga counts more than 30 years of experience in the public sector and is tipped to receive a top advisory post at the Treasury after his retirement, a reliable source told the Business Times. A deputy secretary to the treasury and top official of a presidential council are among the contenders for the finance ministry secretarys post, the source said. At least four top officials of the Ministry are expected to retire before the end of this year while secretaries to 10 key ministries have already retired from service. Ministry Secretaries Udaya Seneviratne, I.H.K. Mahanama (who is under investigation), Kingsley Fernando, Abhaya Ratnayake, W.M.P.G. Wickremasinghe, Sarath Vithana, Neil de Alwis, Chandra Ekanayake, Piyasena Ranepura and Secretary to the Public Service Commission A. Kulatunga retired from public service this year. Why not a US trade war with Sri Lanka View(s): One of the hot topics in the world today is the trade war between the US and China which began after they raised tariffs against each other. China is not the only country that the US wanted to fight with higher tariffs; it had already raised tariffs against the EU, Canada and Mexico. Recently, I began to wonder why the US doesnt fight a trade war with Sri Lanka. Therefore, I want to take this question today which might sound ridiculous: Why on earth should the US ever think of fighting a trade war against Sri Lanka? Trade war with China The US has so far imposed higher tariffs three times this year on its imports from China worth US$250 billion. This coverage amounts to little less than half of the total US imports from China. As of 2017, the total value of Chinese imports to the US exceeded $505 billion. At the initial stage a 25 per cent tariff was imposed on $50 billion worth of imports. The higher tariffs were scheduled to be effective from September 24, initially with a 10 per cent tariff rate which will be raised to 25 per cent from the beginning of next year. China retaliated with the same weapon imposing higher tariffs on $50 billion worth of imports provoking the US. In return, the US extended the coverage to $200 billion. If China retaliates, the US is planning to bring another $267 billion worth of Chinese goods under higher tariffs. This means that then all Chinese goods exported to the US will be subject to higher tariffs. Impact of the trade war With new tariffs, Chinese goods will be expensive in the US resulting in a lower domestic demand for Chinese goods. Consumers, who will have to pay higher prices for Chinese consumer goods, will have to look for some other alternatives. The producers who will have to pay higher prices for Chinese raw materials, accessories, parts, components, tools and machines, will have to look for some other sources to buy these producer goods. All in all, Chinese exports to the US are bound to fall in the years to come, although many others including the US will have to share the burden of higher US tariffs on Chinese goods. The inverse is also true; if China retaliates as it has already done, the US exports to China will decline too. If the bilateral trade dispute between the US and China continues, it would be extended beyond merchandise trade towards foreign investment, travel and tourism and, holding of assets spreading and expanding the negative repercussions all over the world. Why a trade war? As the US has explained, the reasons for its actions against China were stealing such things by China as US technology, US property rights, and US jobs which resulted in an unfair bilateral trade. Although it wasnt clarified enough, all above and things that are even beyond all above should be ultimately reflected through bilateral trade performance. In their bilateral trade, the US has a trade deficit and China has a trade surplus. Last year the US has imported $505 billion worth of goods from China, but exported only $130 billion worth of goods to China; for the US, this has resulted in $376 billion bilateral trade deficit with China. Actually, the US has an overall trade deficit amounting to $807 billion last year. More than 46 per cent of this overall trade deficit is due to bilateral trade with China! US trade with Sri Lanka The US has even more reasons to be disappointed about its bilateral trade with Sri Lanka, but perhaps only one reason for not declaring a trade war against Sri Lanka. The bilateral trade between the US and Sri Lanka has also resulted in a trade deficit for the US: The US imports $2,858 million worth of goods from Sri Lanka but exports to Sri Lanka only $336 million worth of goods. This has resulted in a bilateral trade deficit of $2,522 million ($2.5 billion) to the US. By looking at trade statistics from a twisted angle, the US can even argue that it exports to Sri Lanka just 12 per cent of what it imports from Sri Lanka; for China, still the US exports more than 25 per cent of what it imports from China! Prohibitive tariffs After all, the US knows clearly why there is no fair trade with Sri Lanka. As the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce advises the US exporters, Sri Lanka has a prohibitive tariff regime: Sri Lanka imposes a variety of import duties, which combined can result in high duty rates. US exporters should be aware that fees incurred when exporting to Sri Lanka include the customs-import tariff, Export Development Board levy, Value Added Tax (VAT), Port and Airport tax, Nation Building Tax, Port Handling charges, and agent commissions, all of which could add up to more than 100 per cent of the cost-plus-insurance-plus-freight (CIF) value for items at the higher tariff bands. The Embassy has received complaints from U.S. exporters regarding this prohibitive tariff regime.[Source: https://www.export.gov/article?id=Sri-Lanka-Import-Tariffs] A prohibitive tariff regime has import duties high enough effectively to prohibit imports. It is because once imported, such goods become excessively expensive in the local market so that there will be no domestic demand. In fact, I do not need to explain the excessive price of imported goods in Sri Lanka, which is mostly a result of too many and too high taxes. Freedom for international trade The US has an open economy with relatively lower taxes on imports. While in Sri Lanka, 21.5 per cent of government revenue is collected from taxes on international trade, in the US it is only 1.1 per cent; even in China, it is only 2.5 per cent. According to the ranking of countries by Freedom for International Trade (Economic Freedom Index 2018), the US is a mostly free country, while Sri Lanka is a mostly unfree country. Out of 180 countries in the world, the US is in the 18th position, Sri Lanka is in the 111th position. China is also a mostly unfree country for international trade; with its lower scoring for Freedom for International Trade, in the 110th position just one position above Sri Lanka. Therefore, in respect of international trade with its mostly free position the US is engaged in trade with mostly unfree Sri Lanka and China, while Sri Lankas unfree position is worse than that of China. Calculations of the scores of Freedom for International Trade are based on tariffs and taxes as well as the non-tariff barriers applied on international trade. The non-tariff barriers are numerous, including the old-fashioned quantitative restrictions. As quantitative restrictions are not common these days, there are many other barriers hindering international trade. The most important among them are the regulatory barriers affecting trade, foreign investment and, customs procedures as well as the governments various forms of interventions including competition policies and immigration procedures. Too feeble to fight The US is one of the major markets for more than a quarter of Sri Lankas exports. Therefore, just one punch can possibly be a knockout punch to the Sri Lankan economy! In spite of unfair trade practices by Sri Lanka, the US has still favoured Sri Lanka by offering not only a free market access for Sri Lankas exports, but also a duty-free access under the GSP system. Although Sri Lanka tries to pinch the US, I believe the US tolerates all that and still favours us because we are too small and too weak to hurt the US economy. From the US point of view, Sri Lankan exports are too small to impact on the US trade balance, and it has not been growing either so that there is no threat to the US economy even in the near future. If the country continues to remain too feeble most people will hardly notice it. (The writer is a Professor of Economics at the University of Colombo. He can be reached at sirimal@econ.cmb.ac.lk) Defence Attache recalled from Moscow after Dayans protest View(s): Air Force Group Captain Channa Dissanayake, Sri Lankas Defence Attache in Moscow, has been re-called to Colombo.Instructions went out last week after an official complaint by Sri Lanka new Ambassador in Moscow Dayan Jayetilleke. The ambassador has said the Air Force officer had allegedly partitioned the Embassy premises calling it the Defence Section leaving other areas in the diplomatic mission outside it. Dr. Jayetilleke contended that he could not be the head of only one part of the Sri Lanka Embassy. He also alleged that the Defence Attache had imported a vehicle for his use in Moscow and it cost US$ 80,000. This payment, however, has been authorised by Air Force Commander Kapila Jayampathi. Air Marshal Jayampathi quipped to top officers recently that even he did not have such a good vehicle. Air Marshal Jayampathi was first told of the actions of the Defence Attache by Ambassador Jayetilleke when he visited Moscow recently. Thereafter, the envoy had also sent in a report to the Foreign Ministry which in turn went to the Defence Ministry. Both have concurred that the Defence Attache, a pilot and the son of an SLAF high ranker, should be asked to return immediately. MoD sources said yesterday that the Sri Lankan Defence Attaches name had also been linked to other issues. One is an instance where he had asked Air Force Commander Jayampathi for a VSV (Vishista Seva Vibushana) award but it had been turned down. However, notwithstanding this, a senior official in the Presidential Secretariat had written to the Defence Attache in Moscow that the award had been granted. This official has since been moved out of the Secretariat. Another has been the allegation denied by the Defence Attache that he regularly visited a compound of the United States diplomatic mission in Moscow and mingled with military personnel there. A request by the Defence Attache for an extension of his service has been turned down. Sri Lankas new Defence Attache in Moscow will be Group Captain Uditha Piyasena from the Technical Engineering Division of the Air Force. Presidents Qatar pictures: CID questions official close to top minister Criminal Investigation Department (CID) detectives have taken in for questioning an official closely associated with a loquacious minister. The man had been on President Maithripala Sirisenas entourage to the UN General Assembly sessions in New York, though not formally in the official list. He had been taken along by the minister concerned. The move came after President Sirisena was infuriated seeing pictures of him and members of his family, taken at the Hamad International Airport in Qatars capital of Doha in a website banned in Sri Lanka. They were all en-route to New York. He had asked the Sri Lanka Ambassador in Qatar, a former school teacher and property businessman, to investigate who took the pictures at the VIP Lounge. President Sirisena had also directed the CID to conduct an investigation. Government sources said Ambassador A.S.P. Liyanage, a close associate of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and who has his own Labour Party had personally reviewed surveillance video at the airport and identified the official taking photographs from the entrance to the Lounge. The local official had stayed behind in the US after the UNGA sessions and returned to Colombo only this week. This is whilst another English language website reported with pictures Ambassador Liyanage receiving the sons of former President Mahinda Rajapaksa at the Hamad International Airport. Both Yoshitha and Rohitha had been part of a rugger team that arrived in Doha to play matches. One photograph showed an embassy employee pushing the trolley with the baggage of the Rajapaksa siblings. CID detectives who were questioning him are trying to ascertain whether the photographs, were still in his possession and how he reportedly transmitted them. These sources also said that the official in question had previously worked for another judicious minister who was forced to give up his portfolio. He was since re-instated but the official had then been found to have leaked information to the same website. He had since been removed. Lankas defence deal with Russia threatened by US sanctions, but India goes ahead Governments efforts to make military procurements from Russia have hit another serious snag the sanctions imposed on Russia by the United States. Among two major deals negotiated with Russias Rosboronoexport are the purchase of a Gephard 5.1 Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), Armoured Personnel Carriers (BTRs) and Mi 17 helicopters. They were to come from the state own company Rosboronoexport. However, this company and other Russian companies dealing in military hardware are under sanctions by the US. On August 2, President Donald Trump signed the Countering Americas Adversaries through Sanctions Act of 2017. The sanctions follow the US demand that Russia returns the control of the Crimean peninsula to Ukraine. Yet in Colombo, Some Defence Ministry officials are keen to get the deal through and argue Sri Lanka could obtain exemption from the US since relations are now close. However, diplomatic sources discount this claim. As reported earlier in the Sunday Times, the Russian Government has extended credit to the tune of US$ 135 million (Rs.20 billion) exclusive of 15 percent of Sri Lanka Governments contribution. The total ship value including on board spares and ammunition is placed at US$ 158.5 million (Rs.24 billion). This is besides a further Government commitment of US$ 7 million (Rs.1 billion) for training of Navy personnel. The Government is to pay a four percent interest on the credit extended by the Russian Government. Payment is to be semi-annual in equal instalments within ten years including a grace period of five years. While Sri Lanka is facing problems, in New Delhi on Friday, Russia and Indias leaders announced a raft of deals worth billions of dollars including for a S-400 surface-to-air missile defence system, as New Delhi walks a tightrope between Moscow and Washington with a wary eye on China. Indias decision to purchase the S-400, flies in the face of the US imposing sanctions on countries buying Russian military hardware, as happened with China last month. All-powerful Press Council at Kasal Street The state-backed Sri Lanka Press Council (SLPC) officials are made so powerful by the law that they can order corrections for erroneous publication of reports and even send to jail those who caused violations. However, since being established in 1973, the SLPC has so far not chosen to send a scribe within the confines of a prison wall though journalists have been summoned and put in a temporary cell in Magistrates Courts. Recently in a complaint against the Sunday Times, it was pointed out by the newspapers Counsel that the Council had been illegally constituted. The then Press Council obtained legal advice and was told that the newspaper was right. The Council didnt have what it takes to admit it to the newspaper. Then the Councillors got the President to re-constitute the SLPC, but this would surely not be the end of the story. If one is to go by SLPCs own address on its website, those at the statutory body set up to uphold media freedom do not know where they have located themselves. The website gives the Councils address as 155/15 Kasal Street. In Sinhala Kasal means dirt and the Colombo Municipal Council has no record of a Kasal or Dirt Street, though it might be a Freudian slip. The recently concluded international conference to mark the 20th anniversary of the Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility called for the repeal of the Press Council Act. As far as we know, the Council is at Castle Street. That is not all. It says the location is Colombo 7 8. Are they still not sure in which city zone they sit? Little wonder, an office assistant who came to the main entrance of the Kanatte Cemetery (located not far from Castle Street) and asked directions from an employee there how he could get to Kusal Street, koheda Kusal Pedesa?or where is Kusal Place? The employee heard it wrong and replied: Thavama Avey nehe, or they have not come yet. He thought that the man was asking about funeral procession that was being awaited. The unnerving madness of Sri Lankas political establishment View(s): Sri Lankas political landscape is distinguished by an oddity not evidenced to that unnerving extent elsewhere in this region, even with all its considerable turbulence. How the jaundiced citizen sees it This oddity is that despite an increasingly uncertain economic future as the rupee free falls to unfathomable depths and law and order falters with the Inspector General of Police (IGP) embroiled in one unseemly controversy after another, there is little unified thinking by national level politicians on how to face risks to the countrys economic and political stability which gather in ominous storm clouds above us. From the jaundiced standpoint of citizens, what we see are quarrelling politicians who are only concerned with how to retain or usurp power while national policies from the economy to industries are left to gather dust on bureaucratic shelves. An excellent recent example is the spectacle of President Maithripala Sirisena lambasting the IGP and calling for reform of the entire police force while Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe lauds the police for effective crime control. Meanwhile former President Mahinda Rajapaksa and his cacophonous supporters cackle with glee but offer no sensible solutions which indeed, may be somewhat vain to hope for in the first instance since it was the Rajapaksa Presidency that unprecedentedly squandered public finances for personal gain. And in accordance with what appears to be the increasing madness of the political establishment, a state television channel blares triumphantly after taking television cameras to a hamlet to interview open mouthed residents, that stories saying that villagers ate murunga (drumstick) leaves out of hunger was a diabolical lie spun by Rajapaksa propagandists. Acute need for independent regulation of electronic media Indeed, it seems that state electronic media channels are rapidly reaching the asinine levels of Rajapaksa propaganda immediately leading up to the shock election defeat in January 2015. This asininity is deplorable but nevertheless, the pattern is all too familiar. In the first years of a new Government coming into power, a measure of fairness is maintained in state news broadcasts. We saw this time around as well in the months after January 2015. But as the centre of power grows uncertain, that impartiality dissolves to be replaced by blatantly partisan coverage. On its part, the private electronic media is marked by a lack of professionalism and is even more sensationalist and politically partisan in its functioning. This is exactly why an independent broadcasting authority, exercising its neutral writ over state and private electronic media channels remains a dire necessity. Sri Lanka already has an excellent blueprint for this, laid down more than two decades ago, (in terms of the deterioration of the countrys collective intellect, it seems two eons ago) in a seminal decision of the Supreme Court in the Broadcasting Authority Bill case. Here, our best judges of the day laid down guidelines for the constitutionality of such an Authority, (Athukorale and Others v The Attorney General, 1997). It was cautioned that having regard to the limited availability of frequencies, and taking account of the fact that only a limited number of persons can be permitted to use the frequencies, it is essential that there should be a grip on the dynamic aspects of broadcasting to prevent monopolistic domination of the field either by the government or by a few.. It is interesting that the Court addressed its mind not only to the question of governmental control but also by a few in that the independence of the media is affected equally by politically biased corporates seeking to expand their sphere of influence as it is by political control. The way an Authority should operate, its composition and character was also discussed in this decision which remains a signal example of the Court taking its constitutional role seriously at the time. This is a standard that we should return to even as future priorities in media law reforms are being discussed at the national level. Injustices that occur due to failure of Rule of Law Meanwhile, the madness of the political establishment has far reaching consequences. This week, a police officer, reprimanded by his superiors for stopping a lorry carrying sand without (as he alleges) adhering to the conditions of the issued permit, pointed a gun to his head in public and threatened to shoot himself. He was speedily dealt with by being clapped into prison but his relatives bemoaned the fact that corrupt superiors flout the law with impunity while subordinates implementing the law are imprisoned. There is a point here which ought not to be missed. The police sought to justify the action taken against one of its kind by saying that a permit to operate the lorry in question had been in possession of the lorry driver and that a police officer cannot go around waving a firearm in the open. This seems eminently reasonable. However, it is less clear as to whether the conditions of the permit had been flouted. If so, the monumental injustice meted out to this police officer illustrating the failure of the Rule of Law links up to President Maithripala Sirisenas outburst that the entire police force must be revamped, starting from its head, the IGP. It is not a particularly reassuring sight to see Ministers shrugging off this IGPs excesses by saying airily that this is merely due to his over-familiarity with the media. There is far more in issue here as discussed in these column spaces during the preceding weeks. And this problem must be addressed if the Government is serious about retaining public legitimacy though this tends to be in doubt given its erratic actions. A nation perpetually in chaos But to be clear, the reference in these column spaces to the gathering madness of the political establishment is meant equally for ruling politicians and their opponents alike. Excuses offered by Government frontliners including the Minister of Finance, citing Rajapaksa-era degradation as justification for the unsteady if not wayward stumbling of this Government is nonsensical. Even so, this is trumped by the sound and fury of the Rajapaksa lobby signifying precisely nothing. The danger however is that the vote in impending elections next year may be compelled by sheer disgust of the right royal mess being made in the corridors of power rather than a sensible contemplation of the worse horrors that an alternative may bring. Some weeks ago, when engaging in an exchange of views on the state of politics in this resplendent isle with a more indifferent conversationalist, I was met with the cynical reflection that Sri Lanka was in chaos when we were born, it remains in chaos while we live and assuredly it will be still in chaos when we die. That may indeed be a fitting epitaph for this nation and this land. Policing the Police View(s): President Maithripala Sirisena has had enough of the Police Department, so he said at this weeks Cabinet meeting, though what made him come to that conclusion is not clear. What we know is that he wants heads to roll; from the topmost officer the Inspector General of Police to unspecified lower rankers. It was not too long ago that the President wanted, and got the Minister in charge of the Police replaced. If one is to hazard a guess, it has something to do with his recent public pronouncement that there was a plot to assassinate him and the former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa, a prospective Presidential candidate of the future. The IGP himself has made an unusual remark that he too has information on that matter and wished his subordinates at the Criminal Investigations Department (CID) to question him to find out what he knows. That is some procedure he mentions, and clearly at variance with normal Police investigation methods. Why must the IGP wait for his subordinates to come to him without voluntarily divulging the information he says he has? The IGP must not then be familiar with the provisions of the Police Ordinance in that case. Section 56 refers to the Duties and Liabilities of a Police officer; any police constable quite apart from the IGP must surely know this by heart. S. 56 says; It shall be his duty to collect and communicate intelligence and use his best endeavours and ability to prevent all crimes, offences and so on. The IGP is concealing evidence by not providing the information he has. No wonder some old-timers are saying the once proud service has gone to the pits and others are talking of the days when certain elements of the top brass of the Police were involved in the infamous failed coup of 1962, asking if history is repeating itself. The CID is already under a cloud over what appears to be a ham-handed, botched attempt at trying to eke out evidence that would compromise the Prime Minister among others in the Central Bank bond scam probe. Problems with the Police have been endless. The deterioration process began quite some years ago and its image has been on a downward spiral. With the rapid expansion of the Department in recent times, partly due to the twin insurgencies in the country, the decline of its image has been conversely in the opposite direction. It was inevitable that discipline would give way. That it got entangled in political meddling at every level was the blow that felled it to the canvas floor. From the President to the local MP, telephone calls put paid to the impartiality and efficiency of the Force. It became the most corrupt public institution in the country, and to be ranked with that dubious honour in a country where corruption is endemic, is no mean doing. The President cannot just say the Police need a good shake-up. The investigations into the corrupt activities of the past Government are a textbook case of what has happened to the Police. It has become an appendage of the ruling party or parties. Citizens naturally ask what has happened to the investigations on a former Monitoring MP (as they were called). Allegations about his deeds, or misdeeds, were supposedly widespread but all of a sudden everything seems hushed up. If he is innocent of what he was alleged to have committed, the Attorney General must enter a nolle prosequi and discharge the accused from all charges. Not keep the public in animated suspension and suspicion. What about the pump and dump cases of the Colombo Stock Exchange of yesteryear? What about those indulging in money laundering that is seeing blue chip companies being swallowed up and real estate in residential Colombo falling like ninepins into their hands. From the Police side, there is a justifiable grouse that the criminalisation of politics and the close nexus between many politicians and the underworld have made investigating crime a futility. The President cannot simply blame the Police for all these sins that are kept under the lid. These are cases involving political patronage at the highest levels of Government past and present. The 17th Amendment to the Constitution set up the Police Commission in a bid to stem the decline and politicisation of the Police over a decade ago. It was meant to give back the spine the Police lost over the years. But like the Bribery and Corruption Commission also set up under 17A, the politicians clawed back their powers and got the better of the situation. It reduced what were to be Independent Commissions to almost rubber stamps of Government as they succumbed to the sheer weight of political pressure that pervades the national life of this country. Tsunami can hit twice Last weeks earthquake-triggered tsunami that ravaged the Indonesian city of Palu should be treated as a wake-up call to the Sri Lankan authorities and the people that a disaster of such magnitude can come upon them like a thief at night. Indonesia is on that dangerous faultline of active tectonics and Sri Lanka is not that far away. The confluence of geophysical conditions that gave rise to last weeks tsunami cost more than 1,500 lives (with the death toll still rising) and wiped out a whole beachfront city. After the devastating 2004 tsunami that hit Sri Lanka and many countries in the region, the UN set up an Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning System. Warnings are sent to National Tsunami Warning Centres that act as a focal point in case of an emergency in countries of the Indian Ocean rim. But the system failed to alert the people of Palu last week. This time Sri Lanka was not treated as a threatened country. Only a month ago (Sep. 5), 28 countries including Sri Lanka had taken part in the annual international tsunami drill. However, that drill seems to have had little publicity. There is a danger in the proverbial wolf, wolf childrens story, but a national drill must be taken seriously when the cost, both in human lives and property is so terrible if and when the real wolf, a tsunami, does hit like it did on that fateful day of December 26, 2004. Three more drills along the coastline are to be completed before December 31 and it is hoped that they will be taken with utmost seriousness. The no build zones within 200 metres of the coastline has been now modified and increased to 300 metres in general but in Unawatuna it could be 10 metres and Uswetakeiyawa 30 metres, but permission from the Coast Conservation Authority can be obtained. This discretionary power needs to be de-politicised and carefully enforced. When the 2004 tsunami hit, many said the next tsunami would take another century to happen. Last weeks tsunami in Indonesia does not seem to corroborate that theory. CTSU opposes AL students compulsory attendance at Education Fair View(s): The Ceylon Teachers Services Union (CTSU) has strongly objected to making it compulsory for GCE Advanced Level students to attend an Education Fair held in Kuliyapitiya, which ends today. According to the Ministry of Education (MoE) circular, it has been made mandatory for students of National schools and their Teachers to participate in the Education Fair held at Kuliyapitiya MMV from October 3-7. They had been advised to attend the Fair and familiarise with the Higher Education (HE) opportunities available in overseas HE institutes. The MoE is well aware of the need for Vocational and HE obligations for those who have competed their 13-year school career, and the involvement of allied State institutions in conducting Education programmes for NVQ opportunities in that field, while the MoE has initiated the students to get exposure in this HE Fair, said CTSU President Mahinda Jayasinghe. Hence, it is deplorable to make the AL students and their Teachers in National schools to get exposure in 19 + Education Fair, at the expense of bursaries of School Development Boards, as per a circular issued by the Additional Secretary for School Affairs in the MoE, under your instructions, Mr Jayasinghe said. However, an MoE Spokesman said it was a good opportunity for the students to get an idea of future Educational prospects available. He said they had instructed to get the participation of Over-19 students who had already sat the AL exam. The Education Times learns that, as most AL students who sat the exam, do not come to school, some of the Principals had got the participation of other AL students to attend the event. - DW D.S. Senanayake College takes home coveted inter-school drama prize By Tarini Pilapitiya A look back at the gripping performances by the Boys Finalists at the 45th inter-school Shakespeare Drama competition View(s): View(s): Sitting at the Bishops College Auditorium last weekend, the palpable excitement weighed heavy in the air at the 45th annual Interschool Shakespeare drama competition Boys organized by the Colombo YMCA and Rotary Club of Colombo North. Judging over the four finalist schools; Ananda College, St. Peters College, D.S. Senanayake College and St. Benedicts College was Vinodh Senadheera and Jill McDonald. All four schools emerged consistent in their production delivery in the finals from the semi finals. Kicking off the competition was Ananda College as they tackled Shakespeares Comedy of Errors. A somewhat dark take to the farcical comedy Ananda played on the tones of enmity surrounding the play through their use of non speaking roles. White statue like figures hissed and curled their fingers at the leads characters. It was in fact Rithmaka Karunadhara the Dromio of Sycracuse/ Ephesus, Best Supporting Actor, who coaxed the laughs with his witty one liners, childlike muddled expressions and overall bursts of energy that brought out the true comedic elements of the overall production. The performance by St Peters College had a few changes from their semi-final act. However, Petruchio carried his consistent robust energy from throughout into the finals with his philosophical ponderings mixed with a carefree countenance. Although the ensemble cast displayed their well branded knack for slapstick comedy, it was Petruchio who ended their exercpt with his final soliloquy brandishing his questionable methods of Taming the Shrew as he physically gifted his advice in the form of a red blanket to a stunned audience member in the first row. A strong solid performance that evening was put on by D. S. Senanayake College who also did a double act in their exerts of the Comedy of Errors. Sending the audience into peals of laughter the play was set against a picturesque scene. A charming vintage atmosphere surrounding the play made it all the more memorable. Notable was also the partnership of the two young actors playing Antipholus and Dromio of Sycracuse/ Ephesus who brought individual mannerisms to each of their two characters making neither alike nor identical in their portrayal. Quick costume changes, extra characters with their own unique storylines, a strong ensemble cast from the lovely Luciana to the hilariously befuddled Adriana the play was consistent in the pace of production never neglecting a minute of teasing the audience with laughter. Much kudos to the supporting cast who kept the play lively and enjoyable. St. Benedicts College also emerged a strong contender with their take on Henry the VI Part III securing them a first runners up in the competition. The production had many highs from its portrayal of a villainous queen Margaret, a vengeful Clifford and emotive Earl of Northumberland and even the range of emotions from the Dukes sons. Noteworthy was Dimithry Jayawardhena who played Richard, the Duke of York who showed his prowess in capturing the shades of tragedy of the fall of power and the loss of a child giving the audience an emotive performance to remember and leaving no room for debating his well deserved award as Best Actor that evening. Overall Winners: 3rd runners up Ananda College 2nd runners up St. Peters college 1st runners up St. Benedicts College Winners D. S. Senanayake College Best Actor Richard, the Duke of York Dimmithry Jayawardene (St. Benedicts College) Best Supporting Actor Dromio of Sycracuse/ Ephesus Rithmaka Karunadhara (Ananda College) Best Stage Craft Ananda College Best Novice School Lyceum International School, Wattala Getting on the familiar Lionel Wendt stage in an unfamiliar role By Purnima Pilapitiya Freddys sole female voice Shannon Misso is ready to speak up in more than one way View(s): View(s): I dont even think Im funny, was Shannon Missos initial reaction when Feroze Kamardeen approached her about joining his growing comedy franchise Freddy. But the vivacious, self-deprecating actresss knack for being blunt yet endearing (all of which she will laugh off and deny vehemently) backed by a spark for risk taking and passion for gender equality and social justice made her the ideal candidate to be Freddys first female performer. Making her debut this October in Freddy: A New Hope Shannon will provide a female voice and perspective to Colombos popularly growing mainstream comedy platform, tackling sociopolitical issues close to her own heart and maybe even giving the other performers and the writer himself a piece of her mind. For a seasoned actress who has been in the drama scene since her days at her alma mater Holy Family Convent, this will mark Shannons big plunge into comedy. She began her relationship with the stage at a young age immersed in Shakespeare, her first role in Richard III being nominated for best actress at the All Island Shakespeare Drama Competition (but it was good that I didnt win, she giggles). She did go on to bag the title at the age of 17 for her role in Measure for Measure and continued to act out of school with theatre groups such as the Workshop Players and StageLight&Magic. After Othello in 2010 she took a break and the recent StageLight&Magic production The Pillowman marked her return to theatre, this time as director. Part of the reason Feroze approached Shannon about performing stand-up came after seeing her blog post about the effect her school life had on her adolescence- a piece she shared online after seeing her students go through similar experiences. I am the kind of person who will give it back to a catcaller. Maybe its also Shannons unapologetic mouth and mind that made her a good fit for Freddy. Some of the things I say are pretty nasty, she warns, laughing, but cant see why she cant be as colourful in her language as some of Freddys performers who are accepted for it. If female comediennes are still struggling to make it as big as their male counterparts, Shannon will bring not only the female voice to Freddy, but specifically, the voice of the Sri Lankan woman. For Shannon, the chance to get on the familiar Lionel Wendt stage in a very unfamiliar role gives an under-represented group a chance to speak up in more than one way. At the heart of her performance, the teacher and mother of two wants to show her own kids an important message. I need them to see that I love being a mother but that my identity is more than that. I want them to see some of the things Ammi can do. Shannon is also looking forward to the criticism that may come her way after October 23. StageLight&Magic.Inc present Freddy 3- A New Hope! directed by Feroze Kamardeen from October 18-23. Box plan and tickets will be available at the Lionel Wendt. Lets hear it for the girls: Thrilling performances at the Shakespeare Drama Competition By Joshua Surendraraj The Mirror Magazine revisits the performances of the finalist Girls Schools at the recently concluded 45th Inter-school Shakespeare Drama Competition View(s): View(s): Theres certainly an emotional intensity that revolves around William Shakespeares King Lear. It was this character that proved to be the driving force behind the Bishopian journey to win the Girls finale of the 45th Shakespeare Drama Competition organised by the Colombo YMCA and Rotary Club of Colombo North recently. The judges panel comprised Kaushalya Fernando, Vinod Senadheera and Eraj De Silva. Following the two strong performances put on by Museaus College Colombo 7 and Gateway College, Dehiwala, Bishops College certainly had their work cut out for them. Their production packed a punch from the onset, gradually building up the energy on onstage. But the clear highlight came about with King Lears portrayal by Raaedha Faizel, whos rich and lithe voice had the audience hooked and earned her the best actress award in the competition. Her performance managed to move the crowd as she casually avoided any form of eye contact, preferring to look beyond them as if searching for something that was long lost. And in this case it was the old Kings only faithful daughter Cordelia. The rest of the cast seemed to feed on this energy and brought in the same level of intensity to the setting, making King Lear the clear winner in the eyes of the judges that night. Despite having a tough act to follow from, St Bridgets Convent were up for the challenge with their rendition of Taming of the Shrew. The girls brought out the best of the comedic elements in the play through carefully orchestrated scene changes and the well timed executions of the actresses. When it came to deciding the first runner up, the competition was clearly between St. Bridgets and Musaeus College. The judges however, preferred to lean towards the latter. For indeed, earlier that evening the girls from Musaeus had managed to put on an intense portrayal of Shakespeares Measure for Measure. Their strength showed clearly in their emotive characters, especially that of Isabella, Claudio and Lord Angelo. Aside from the acting, Musaeus College could also be commended for their swift scene changes and skillful utilisation of props. Musaeus College took home the award for runners up. Gateway College, Dehiwala walked away with the third runners up trophy and could also be applauded for putting on a well fought performance. The Girls Finals showcased the best and perhaps some of the more interesting takes on some of the bards sacred pieces. Their mastery of Shakespeares poetic scripts and attention to detail proved just why these schools were worthy finalists. Winners at a glance Best stage craftWinner : St Lawrences Convent Colombo 6 (Macbeth) Novice School Winner : Lyceum International School Gampaha (King Lear) Best supporting actress Joint Winners- Luxmi Wijeyenathan (Bishops College) and Celina Randeniya (Visakha Vidyalaya) Best actress Winner Raaedha Faizel-Bishops College Colombo 3 Overall Winners Winners- Bishops College Colombo 3 1st Runners-Up Museaus College Colombo 7 2nd Runners-Up St Bridgets Convent Colombo 7 3rd Runners-Up Gateway College (Dehiwala) Mithuruwela: A unique initiative offering hope and support to cancer patients and caregivers By Joshua Surendraraj View(s): View(s): When Nelun Ratnasekera first took her husband for cancer treatment, back in 2003, she recalls observing the sadness prevalent throughout the clinic. All around her were several caregivers and patients, in tears, unable to fathom the uncertainties of the future. But at this point, she realized there were many of them, who found solace in talking to another person, going through a similar situation. So whilst waiting for her husband to receive his treatment, Nelun would spend her time engaging in conversation with the caregivers. Her enthusiasm to help them led her to join Mithuruwela a cancer support network. We want to show these people that we care and that were there for them, she tells me as the team behind Mithuruwela sit with us for a chat. Mithuruwelas story began in 2005, when its founding members, Professor Ryhana Raheem and Mala Thalayasingam (AAL), survived cancer and took the initiative to start a support group for cancer in Sri Lanka. Sooner, they were joined by their family members, friends, their doctors and other survivors. Today, Mithuruwela, strives to help Sri Lankans, battling cancer, find the support they need to carry on. When Mala Thalayasingam, first started treatment at the Maharagama Cancer Hospital, she had access to information on cancer through the internet etc. But what she also realised at the time was that there were several other patients, who did not know anything about treatment or what they should do or avoid, when it comes to cancer. Today, Mithuruwela conducts several awareness programmes, aiming to educate the population. In fact quite recently, they also started programmes for the Sanasa Assurance and Sanasa Development Bank. Their last project with the bank was conducted in July this year at Mapalagama in the Galle District by Sister Devika from the National Cancer Care Programme, Narahenpita. It focused on cancer in general, whilst also paying close attention to oral cancer which is often an issue in rural Sri Lanka. Using illustrated flash cards, Sister Devika, explained how a simple self-examination for breast cancer could be carried out at home. She also advised participants to consult a doctor if they found anything unusual. Following her presentation, a screening session was also conducted for the female participants who wished to be tested. About 35 female participants presented themselves and two of them, with breast lumps were referred for further screening. Mithurwela has also conducted several similar programmes across the country, including areas such as Batticaloa, Trincomalee and Jaffna etc. The chairperson for Mithuruwela, Suhendran Thalayasingam explains that over the past few years, they have also managed to cover most of the plantation districts. Through their work, the team also observed a stigma that surrounds cancer. This is more evident amongst the estate population. We have to get over this stigma and the people have to be educated about it, Suhendran tells us. Mithurwelas efforts arent just limited to the awareness programmes. Rather, they also focus on befriending and supporting both the cancer patient and their caregiver. At times they also provide nutrition and medicine to the patients. In order to raise funds for their projects, the organization has put together Pink Ribbons, a musical fund-raiser which will be held on Sunday (October 14) at the Sri Lanka Tourist Board Auditorium, Galle Road, Colombo 3. The evening will showcase the soulful tunes of Dr. Feizal Zavahir of Pennsylvania, USA, who will also be joined by Flame. Cancer is not the end of the world, Mala says. She adds that today there is a growing number of people wanting to be tested, which is encouraging. Back when Mithuruwela first started Prof. Ryhana, who has been working in the cancer wards, recalls observing the fear in people coming for surgeries. But as the years passed, she has also found people to be quite accepting of their situation. There has been an educative shift among the women, who know that cancer is a problem, but that there is hope, she says. Tickets for Pink Ribbons priced Rs. 2000 can be obtained by calling the hotline 0776303550. For more information log on to www.cancersupportlk.org. DIG Nalaka Silva faces arrest; recorded voice authentic, says Govt. Analyst View(s): The Government Analyst has confirmed that the voice of DIG Nalaka Silva, the former head of the Terrorism Investigation Division (TID), contained in recorded telephone conversations over an assassination plot now under probe is authentic and that of the DIG. In the light of this, DIG Silva faces arrest anytime now, highly placed Police sources said yesterday. He has already been directed to appear before the Colombo Fort Magistrates Court on October 8. Also asked to appear is Namal Kumarage who said that there was a conspiracy. The senior Police officer is at the centre of an alleged conspiracy to assassinate President Maithripala Sirisena and former Defence Secretary Gotabaya Rajapaksa. A self-styled anti-corruption activist, Namal Kumarage, revealed details of the alleged plot at a news conference in Kandy and played the recorded telephone conversations he had with DIG Silva. It is in those taped conversations that he had quoted DIG Silva as saying how the conspiracy should be carried out. The Governments Analysts report has already been sent to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters. It is expected to be produced in court next week by detectives. Now the CID has also handed over to the Government Analyst the two Light Machine Guns seized from the TID. The two weapons had been issued from the Police Central Armoury with the approval of the Inspector General Pujith Jayasundera. The Government Analyst has been asked to analyse the weapons and whether they had been used in the recent past. Detectives are probing whether these weapons, together with a request for Special Task Force training for a group of TID personnel, have any links to the alleged conspiracy. Also coming under investigation is an official in an important ministry. He is suspected of leaking information to a website banned in Sri Lanka. He had alleged that the conspiracy in question has been engineered by President Sirisena. Detectives say the move is to deflect attention and suggest that the conspiracy was political. CID sources said he is likely to be questioned. Killings on the rise, but police say crime down By Sandun Jayawardana, Damith Wickramasekara and Asiri Fernando Former senior DIG hits out at Police for misleading the Government and public by not accurately reporting facts View(s): View(s): Murders are mounting but the Police Department insists that the crime rate is down according to their statistics. Just this week, two persons were shot and hacked to death in Uragasmanhandiya near Elpitiya. It was followed by the shooting of a woman in Ja-ela when she was driving. Her eight-year-old daughter escaped miraculously. There was a gun battle between a gang leader and Police in Athurugiriya. Law and Order Minister, Ranjith Madduma Bandara, flanked by a group of DIGs held a news conference on Thursday to exhort how well the Police were doing fighting crime. During the first eight months of 2018, 320 murders have occurred islandwide, a senior police official revealed to the Sunday Times. Subsequently, 285 suspects have been arrested in relation to the said 320 murders. However, a senior retired Police officer, former Senior DIG H.M.G.B Kotakadeniya explained the reasons behind the claim. People dont believe there is law and order in the country and all is well. Senior officers do not allow Officers in Charge of the Police Stations to report crime without their approval he said. Mr. Kotakadeniya was formerly Senior DIG Crimes. There are many reasons for this sad state of affairs, he said. Political interference was one. There were also senior officers who colluded with criminals. That has contributed heavily to the deterioration of law and order, he added. The veteran police officer claimed that the Police is misleading the Government and public by not accurately reporting facts. Further, much of the minor crimes goes unreported to the police as the public has little faith in the system and do not want to go through the hassle. Mr. Kotakadeniya said he had voiced concern regarding linkages between senior police officers and criminal elements in the mid 1990s. Today, the situation is a manifestation of such issues he added. The current situation with allegations of corruption and collusion between police high ups and criminals is the culmination of the degeneration in the department which began with political interference in the early 1990s he opined. A serious concern at present is the rise in violence unleashed by underworld gangs, at least some of which seem to be operating with powerful political backing. Gang violence is fuelled by the drug trade and the circulation of illegal firearms within these groups, said Prof. M.W. Jayasundara of the Department of Criminology and Criminal Justice of the Sri Jayewardenpura University. A murder committed through sudden, uncontrollable rage is vastly different to something thats premeditated and well-planned. The murders connected to the underworld fall to the latter category, Prof. Jayasundara stressed, adding that society is far more sensitive to such organized crime. Therefore, there is much pressure on the Government to curb such crimes. A Police source told the Sunday Times that in the first 8 months of this year, 38 murders using firearms have occurred and that in 33 of the cases suspects have been arrested and arms recovered. 622 firearms have also been taken in to custody during the same period. While there is some justification to the claims made by Police that the number of certain grave crimes have decreased, the level of brazenness associated with violent crimes, which are then widely reported across all media, amplify their shock value, Prof. Jayasundara opined. People are being gunned down in broad daylight, he observed, pointing out that the shooting of a 40-year- old woman at Weligampitiya in Kandana as the latest in a string of similar incidents in recent times. With the intense media exposure surrounding these heinous crimes, it makes one incident equivalent to 50 or a 100 such crimes in the minds of the public, he argued. In effect, the general perception is that there are far more killings now than there ever were after the end of the war. The Government in turn, must find a way within the rule of law to curb the underworld, he remarked. Minister for Law and Order, Ranjith Madduma Bandara on Thursday, told the media that the crime rate in the country was statistically low. His comments come days after President Matripala Sirisena had raised concerns that the crime rate in the Island is trending upwards at a Cabinet meeting. Recently, the concerns regarding gang activity by the Ava gang in Jaffna, saw a Senior Army Officer claim that the Army can get the situation under control in two days. Addressing the news conference which focused on the crime and security situation in Jaffna, Minister Madduma Bandara emphasized that the Police was in control and the deployment of armed forces for law enforcement duties in the North and Eastern provinces was not necessary. He further claimed that unfair media publicity was directed at the Police. The Police is in control of the law and order situation in Jaffna claimed Senior DIG Roshan Fernando (Northern Range) Today the situation in the north, especially regarding the activities of the Ava gang is being blown out of proportion he noted. Some politicians try to portray the Ava gang as an reemergence of the LTTE however, their activities have not caused murder up-to date he added. SDIG Fernando claimed that Ava was not a major security concern, pointing out that the group has splintered and there was friction between the groups. There are youth in the north who are idling, lack of employment opportunities are a contributing factor too. Further, these youth get funds from their relatives abroad, they are influenced by violence they see in the south Indian cinema and try to behave like thathe pointed out. The Commandant of the Special Task Force (STF) Senior DIG Latheef added that the activities of the Ava group up-to-date are normal crimes and not terrorism. The Sunday Times learns that the Police is to put in place a number of measures to tackle organised crime related violence. In the Western province alone there are 11,000 warrants which are yet to be executed, a police source said. A plan has been put in place for 112 police stations in the province to serve one warrant per day in an effort to clear up the backlog of suspects who are at large. Head of the Police Narcotics Bureau, DIG Sajeewa Medawatta told the press that 25 special rapid response teams are to be deployed with the help of the STF to combat drug and related organized criminal activity. Further, a dedicated 24hr hot line for drug related tip-offs is being trialed DIG Medawatta noted. Police will step up night patrolling of high risk areas with the community policing teams and plan to request stricter bail conditions for suspects involved in violent crimes a Police source informed. On Friday (05th) evening, a 33-year-old resident of Kalapaluwawa, Rajagiriya was shot dead by two assailants on a bike. Earlier that morning, a 29-year-old individual was stabbed to death Samithpura in Mattakkuliya. Each day brings another violent death. Is this the new norm? Ministry enlightens agitating residents around garbage site View(s): Following agitations launched by area residents, against shifting the sanitary landfill from Arawakkaru to Serakuliya, Puttalam, the Megapolis Ministry intends to educate and create awareness among the residents. The Ministry officials who met the protestors, will make the area residents inclusive and involve them in the project. With this in mind, representatives of the protestors, religious dignitaries, pradeshiya sabha members and grama sevaka niladharis of the area had a discussion on September 27. An Advisory Committee formed will meet every month and review the progress of the construction, with residents given the opportunity to participate in its progress, and will have the right to oppose any deviation from the approved plan. Waste Management Director Jayavilal Fernando said the residents will be enlightened on the environmental impact of the project, and will be allowed to visit the site to ensure adherence to the approved plan. Responding to residents concerns that contaminated water from the garbage, may leak into the lagoon situated 5 km from the site, endangering the lagoons marine life, he said the possibility of leakages is minimal, as only compressed garbage will be brought to the site. The garbage, he said, will be first sent to a compacter yard in Kelaniya where 80% of the moisture will be squeezed out, before it is transported by train in special sealed containers, to the site. Mr. Fernando said the residents protesting against the change in the location of the construction site is incorrect, as Arawakkaru is a large area and Serakkuliya is part of it. The original plan to have the site at Arawakkaru was abandoned due to its adverse environment impact. The Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) report states that the site being only one mile from the buffer zone of Wilapattu National Park, there is the possibility of wild animals straying into the area of the garbage pit, aggravating the elephant-human conflict. Also, there was the disadvantage to the Kalu Oya and Lunu Oya 200 metres northeast of the site. All environmental precautions and safeguards have been followed. There is no contamination, every day the garbage will be covered with a thin layer of sand, he said. The new site identified at Serakkuliya is a large pit excavated and abandoned by the Cement Corporation around 20 years ago. Mr. Fernando maintains that all protocols including the approval of the Central Environment Authority (CEA) of the North Western Province have been obtained for the project. We have got the EIA report from the CEA distributed to the PSs, divisional secretariat and the provincial environment secretariat for their input. We will go ahead with it, he said. Elaborating on the project, he said that, Stage I will take 85 acres of land with a maximum capacity of 1,200 metric tons of garbage. Garbage from Colombo, Puttalam and Wanathawilluwa will be dumped at this site. Disputing concerns of the residents of the adverse impact on salt production, he said that, It is not possible, as the site is 40 km away from the salterns and the possibility of contamination of lagoons very low. Further there will be no discharge, he said. He said the sophisticated treatment plan for the garbage site has been accepted and approved by the CEA. The treated water is to be re-circulated into the system, he said. As Arawakkaru is an arid zone, with over 9 months of dry weather, and lack of ground water in the area, we plan to re-circulate the treated water for household purposes such as washing vehicles, containers and irrigation purposes. The project, at an estimated cost of US$ 101 million, undertaken by the China Harbour Engineering Co., is expected to be completed by November 2019. Payment dispute may bring Colombos garbage collection to a halt: Mayor View(s): Colombo citys garbage collection could come to a grinding halt following a dispute over payments to the Sri Lanka Land Reclamation Development Corporation (SLLRDC) which manages the Kerawalapitiya garbage disposal site, Mayor Rosy Senanayake warned yesterday. She said the councils efforts to maintain a clean city had contributed to bringing down the number of dengue case by 62 percent in the city in the past six months but the council would not be able to maintain the momentum if the garbage remained uncollected. It is not my doing if epidemics spread due to garbage accumulation. The SLLRDC will be responsible for the issue, Ms. Senanayake said, claiming that the SLLRDC had refused to allow garbage to be dumped at the Muthurajawela-Karadiyana area until the council paid more for the garbage. She said the CMC had paid Rs 3,000 a metric tonne of garbage until July, but the SLLRDC wanted Rs 5,000 per metric tonne. The total amount worked out by SLLRDC was Rs. 207 million. This is unfair. They are behaving like they are asking for a ransom. Suddenly yesterday evening they announced that they would not allow to unload garbage at the site, she charged. She said she had been unable to contact the President; neither could she notify the Prime Minister who was overseas. However, she said she contacted Megapolis Minister Champika Ranawaka and he had asked her to meet officials to sort out the dispute. The mayor said she had no authority to take a decision at such a short notice regarding payments. She added that if the council spent such a big amount on garbage, it would not have enough money for other council activities. SLLRDC chairman Roshan Gunawardena said they stepped in when the CMC could not find a disposal site after the Meethotamulla garbage dump disaster. We provided our land but we did so according to an agreement. We told the CMC to make payments until July. They have to pay Rs 207 million before September 31, he said. He acknowledged that the CMC had paid the SLLRDC Rs 50 million but there was still Rs. 157 million to be paid. We said we would give them time until October 2. But due to their lack of response we have decided to halt accepting garbage, he said. If the council pays, we will allow them to dump the garbage, he said. Rains bring smile to drought-hit farmers; DMC issues disaster warning By Shaadya Ismail View(s): View(s): The current wet weather conditions have finally brought relief to drought stricken farmers, who suffered hardship due to lack of water for cultivation. The Director of Irrigation, Water Management and Training W B Palugaswewa told the Sunday Times that the prevailing weather conditions will be favourable for paddy cultivation in the East and the North Eastern provinces. According to Mr Palugaswewa, the forecast is favourable and sufficient rainfall is expected to increase the water levels to provide for cultivation purposes and crop damage can be avoided. The Meteorological Department said that heavy rains associated with strong winds are expected to prevail during this month and November. Duty meteorologist Kason Pasqual said that thundershowers can occur in any part of the island and according to the usual pattern, rains are expected during the evenings. However there can be areas which may experience rains the whole day. The director of development and media spokesman to the Ministry of Power and Renewable Energy, Sulakshana Jayawardena said that the average water levels of the main six reservoirs have increased to 75%. The main impact of the current weather is that the increasing water levels in the reservoirs will reduce the daily demand, he said. However, according to Mr Jayawardena, the negative impact, on the other hand, is associated with heavy winds as a result of which people can face frequent interruptions to their power supply due to trees falling on power transmission lines. Meanwhile, the Disaster Management Centre said that the prevailing weather conditions have caused severe damage in Kurunegala and Puttalam districts. Deputy director and media spokesman, Pradeep Kodippili said that the most number of casualties were reported from Chilaw and Anamaduwa. The DMC with the help of the Ministry of Disaster Management has given Rs 10,000 compensation on the spot to the people affected. A team has been sent to assess damaged houses. Moreover, District Secretary of Puttalam N.H.M. Chithrananda told the Sunday Times that Anamaduwa, Pallama and Mahakumbukkadawala were the worst affected areas. He revealed that 200 families and houses are affected in Anamaduwa, while 117 houses and 146 families are affected in Pallama. And 386 houses and families are affected in the Mahakumbukkadawala area. According to Mr Chithrananda, a school and a temple in the Puttalam district have been severely damaged. Traffic built up as Colombo saw heavy rains yesterday. Pic by Priyantha Wickramaarachchi Safety hazard check for Ratmalana airport border wall By Asiri Fernando View(s): View(s): Sri Lankas aviation regulator will review the safety of the perimeter wall bordering the Galle Road at Colombo Airport in Ratmalana because of safety concerns expressed by pilots and others. Rohan Manukulasooriya, the regulators deputy director general (airspace and security regulation), said a committee will be named this month. The terms of reference are being drafted. For several years, some aviators have voiced concerns that the wall is a safety hazard for flights in and out of Ratmalana. They claim the structure will be a significant safety hazard if an aircraft overshoots the runway and crashes into the wall, causing death or injury to passengers and crew. The solid wall contravenes International Civil Aviation Organization recommendations contained in the Runway End Safety Area guidelines that call for frangible fencing. A material is said to be frangible if through deformation it tends to break up into fragments, rather than deforming elastically and retaining its cohesion as a single object. The Colombo Airport management plans to seek aerodrome certification from CAASL to expand their operations and fly larger commercial and cargo aircraft later this year, the Sunday Times learns. The aircraft that will land there in the event of such operational expansion will require the safety measures already in place to be revisited. The perimeter wall was built during the war against terrorism as a security measure and is an uncommon sight in Sri Lanka. All airports in Sri Lanka have fencing at the end of each runway in accordance with ICAO guidelines. The perimeter of the Bandaranaike International Airport is also fenced, not walled. The safety assessment comes in the wake a meeting on domestic aviation held earlier this year at the Prime Ministers office. The concerns voiced by a group of aviators relate to a hypothetical situation, he said, maintaining that the airport complies with regulations. There is a safety area of 240 metres between the end of the runway and the wall, he said. And the aircraft which use Ratmalana are of a category that does not require use of the full length of runway to take off. Therefore, there was adequate room to land safely in the event of an aborted takeoff. The management is ready to take down the wall if the regulator advises them to do so, said Aruna Rajapaksha, manager of the Colombo Airport, which recently started to accommodate corporate jets that have different takeoff and landing characteristics than the common training aircraft based there before. The wall does present a safety hazard, said a qualified flying instructor of a leading flying training school at Ratmalana. He did not wish to be named. If during landing there is a failure in the landing gear or breaks of the wheels, or there is a sudden gust of wind, the height of the wall presents a problem, he insisted. It is an obstacle to novice pilots training at Ratmalana can do without. Although such barriers are not unprecedented in the world, the fact that novice pilots use this runway makes it a matter of legitimate concern and we acknowledge and accept that this is not the ideal set of circumstances, said Air Vice Marshal Sudarshana Pathirana, director of Air Operations of the Sri Lanka Air Force (SLAF). The SLAF had no objections to demolishing the wall, he said, adding that they have already expressed our agreement although we do believe that it has to be done with due care given to ensuring that the removal does not expose the runway and associated infrastructure to any security threat. The CAASL was responsible for not only the safety of aircrew and passenger but also for public safety, Mr Manukulasooriya pointed out. In the event of an accident, the aircraft colliding with the wall could possibly prevent it from running on to the Galle Road. This sentiment was echoed by the H M C Nimalsiri, CAASL director general. He said there were many airports in India that had solid perimeter walls for security reasons. On August 6, 2018, a Cessna Caravan aircraft operated by Supreme Airlines from Jaipur to Sri Ganganagar in India overshot the runway at Lalgarh and crashed into the solid perimeter wall. There were no reported injuries among the seven passengers and two pilots. SC green light for SSPs rights petition against Police Chief By Ranjith Padmasiri View(s): View(s): The Supreme Court on Friday granted leave to proceed in a fundamental rights petition case filed by a Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) against the Inspector General of Police (IGP), the National Police Commission (NPC) and the Ministry of Law and Order. The Court also granted an interim order preventing the IGP, the Minister of Law and Order and the Secretary to the Ministry of Law and Order from not giving effect to the recommendation of the NPC to promote the petitioner to the rank of Acting Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police. SSP Rohan Siriwardana, who serves in Kilinochchi and who has 40 years of service with the police, has filed the petition stating that IGP Pujith Jayasundara had tried to transfer him arbitrarily and engaged in falsely and maliciously seeking to initiate certain inquires against him to prevent promotion. The petitioner alleged that the NPC has recommended that he be promoted to the position of Acting DIG. However, IGP Pujith Jayasundara had failed to give effect to the said recommendation on the purported basis that there were disciplinary reasons against such promotion. The NPC had come to the conclusion that there was no basis to issue any charge sheet on the petitioner and had again recommended the IGP to give effect to such promotion. The IGP had still failed to adhere to the recommendation and promote the petitioner to the position of Acting DIG, the petitioner claims. SSP Siriwardena alleges that the IGPs conduct is motivated by malice. He says that repeated attempts by the IGP to harass him and denigrate his professional reputation by unfairly and arbitrarily persecuting him through his office, amounts to a violation of the fundamental rights guaranteed under Article 11 of the Constitution. IGP Pujitha Jayasundara, Minister of Public Administration, Management and Law and order Ranjith Madduma Bandara, Secretary of National Police Commission, Padmasiri Jayamanna and members of the NPC have been named as respondents along with the Attorney General. Counsel Shivan Coorey and Pulasthi Rupasinha instructed by Sanjeewa Kaluarachchi appeared for the Petitioner. Senior State Counsel Ms. S. Herath appeared for the respondents. Sirisena-Mahinda talks to form grand coalition No caretaker govt. with those who "sold the country" Rajapaksa View(s): View(s): President Maithripala Sirisena and his predecessor Mahinda Rajapaksa met this week to discuss a potential caretaker grand coalition government. A fruition of the talks could see Rajapaksa emerging as the new Prime Minister. In Beruwala, yesterday, Rajapaksa spoke of a caretaker government, but said it would never be with those who sold the country. The talks come on the initiative of President Sirisena and were held at the residence of S.B. Dissanayake, a former Minister and a member of the 15-member SLFP rebel group. As part of the dialogue, Mahinda Rajapaksa is expected to take over the leadership of the Sri Lanka Podujana Peramuna (SLPP). The partys ideologue and strategist Basil Rajapaksa was also at the talks. The next round is expected to be in two weeks after Sirisena returns from two overseas visits. He leaves on Tuesday for Seychelles on a three-day trip. After his return to Sri Lanka, he is also due to travel to Poland. The power of journalism lies in free, responsible and ethical media View(s): Canadas Centre for Law and Democracy Director Toby Mendel, who was one of the nine international speakers at the 20th anniversary celebrations of the Colombo Declaration on Media Freedom and Social Responsibility, has emphasised the need for journalism to be free, independent, responsible and ethical. Although everyone agreed on the power of journalism, there is a question about how to maintain this in an ever-changing world where attention seems to be increasingly elsewhere, particularly on social media. One way to maintain the power of journalism is to continue to stress its difference from social media and its importance. To achieve this, journalism needs to be free, independent, responsible and ethical. This brings us back to the Colombo Declaration, which sets out the conditions which are necessary for exactly that: a free, independent and responsible media, Mr. Mendel said in his closing remarks, which were included in the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) statement issued at the end the four-day conference. Mr. Mendel said the process leading to the Colombo Declaration began, mainly in a series of criminal defamation cases brought by powerful individuals against editors, senior journalists and newspapers. He said: This attack on media freedom was transformed into a strength as an otherwise divided media community came together to fight back. As part of the process of fighting back, in 1998, the media community adopted the Colombo Declaration. It was a remarkable achievement; a comprehensive statement of what needed to be done to bring the law and policy environment in the country into line with constitutional and international law protection for freedom of expression and the media. Mr. Mendel said no one else had done something like that at the time, and almost no one else has since. Indeed, the only clear example I know of is Nepal, where I personally worked with local stakeholders and where we specifically used the Colombo Declaration as a source of inspiration. Another major achievement, he said, was the fact that Sri Lanka repealed its criminal defamation provisions in their entirety. Not only was it the first Commonwealth country to do so, but, even today, only a very small number, including the United Kingdom and Ghana, have followed in its footsteps. In summing up what transpired during the three day programme, Mr. Mendel said that many speakers welcomed the institutional structures that were put in place as part of this process, namely the Sri Lanka Press Institute (SLPI) and its associated bodiesthe Sri Lanka College of Journalism and the Sri Lanka Press Complaints Commission. The fact that these institutions were not only created but remain vibrant today is another remarkable achievement in a world where it is increasingly challenging to establish and maintain media freedom institutions. He said the idea that these systems should reach out more systemically to embrace the broadcast and online media was raised repeatedly. This has been discussed many times over the years but so far it has still not happened. Broadening the reach of the SLPI bodies to cover these media sectors would be a very useful area of growth. Keeping to the institutional point, the need to get rid, once and for all, of the Press Council and, indeed, to repeal the Press Council Act in its entirety, is another clear imperative. Several speakers noted that supporting media freedom is not only about regulation and law and that Media and Information Literacy has taken on ever greater importance in the modern world. The statement said: The lines between professional media and the so-called social media have become all too blurred and disinformation and rumours have become all too prevalent. Media and Information Literacy can help citizens understand the importance of legacy media content and identify inaccurate content. One of the calls in the original Colombo Declaration was to address the problem of government media in Sri Lanka, but little has been done in this area. The ownership of Lake House has still not been broadbased and the government broadcast media remain just that, government mouthpieces rather than public service broadcasters which serve the public as a whole. The need for transformation in this sector remains as high today as it did in 1998. Despite calls from some actors for an end to public service broadcasters, their role today as reliable news sources remains as important as ever. Safety was highlighted as a key freedom of expression and media freedom issue. The days of the worst attacks on journalists, during which Sri Lanka was unfortunately a world leader in terms of killings, now seem to be behind us. However, the task of bringing the perpetrators of these crimes to justice, although initiated, has not been brought to completion. Furthermore, there are still ongoing threats and even attacks. There is also a need, in Sri Lanka and globally, to recognise that attacks on right to information (RTI) activists are just as serious as attacks on journalists, and to bring them within the scope of national and global systems for responding to such attacks. The second day of this event fell on International Right to Know Day, a day when people around the world celebrate the importance of RTI. The Chair of the Sri Lankan RTI Commission highlighted how much progress had been made in Sri Lanka on this issue, from constitutional protection through Article 14A of the Constitution to the adoption of the Right to Information Act in 2016 and now with strong implementation efforts. It is true that Sri Lanka has dropped from third to fourth place in the RTI Rating, the leading international assessment of RTI laws, with neighbouring Afghanistan having adopted the strongest RTI law in the world. At the same time, the progress in terms of implementing RTI in Sri Lanka is impressive by any measure. Leading these efforts is the strong and independent RTI Commission, which has to date, issued well over 600 decisions. Requests are not just coming from civil society groups based in Colombo, but from people from all sectors of society and from all over the country. Building a strong base of popular support for the RTI law will be very important to defend it against the pushback that will inevitably come. One of the best lines of the whole conference was the statement: There is no such thing as fake news. Nothing could be truer. Fake news is a term coined by an enemy of the press, specifically to attack the press. We should stop giving oxygen to this double-speak and instead focus on real issues, such as deliberate disinformation (which is not news) on social media. Closely related to this is the need to differentiate between social media and legacy media. Much of the money and attention has gone online but we still need news. In other words, we need carefully curated information about current affairs information prepared by professional journalists, regardless of how it is disseminated. The new digital environment has created a number of challenges for the legacy media. One is the redirection of funding away from legacy media to social media. Another is the remarkable speeding up of the news cycle. Yet another is how to reach all citizens, including by breaking through the increasingly pervasive information bubbles or silos. Despite these challenges, or perhaps because of them, we need to support the legacy media more than ever. On the evening of the first day of the conference, the Prime Minister said that he was open to the idea of adopting a Contempt of Court Act. There is a large gap between the practice in this area not only in Sri Lanka but throughout South Asia, on the one hand, and democracies in the rest of the world, on the other. In countries like not only Canada and the United Kingdom, but also South Africa and the Philippines, journalists and others are largely free to comment not only on decided cases but also cases which remain sub judice. If Sri Lanka does move to adopt a Contempt of Court Act, it should not just build incrementally on current practice but jump forward to align with better practice standards from around the world. Training has become far more challenging in the modern media environment, and it needs to be very practical in nature. It is not enough to focus on technical issues; the more important need is to foster good journalism. At the end of the day, a good story is a good story and you can learn how to disseminate it effectively. We are somehow in a brave new world when it comes to technology. Even the notion of journalism being produced by robots using artificial intelligence is no longer simply an idea but, rather, quickly becoming a reality, creating a new set of challenges. It is unclear where this will end up but, at a minimum, media outlets need to build tech into their business models as this is where both efficiency and modern public focus lie. The conference ended with a session on the power of journalism. Although the title asked whether this was a myth or reality, everyone who spoke emphasised the latter. This was a moving session, with powerful testimonies from young female and male journalists and journalism students who told us why they wanted to work in this difficult and generally poorly paid profession. Appreciations View(s): You taught us the meaning of unconditional love Major General Janaka Perera and Mrs. Wajira Perera Ten years ago, on October 5, 2008, our parents were taken from this world alongside 30 other innocent civilians in Anuradhapura in a senseless violent suicide bombing. There were no warnings and no goodbyes. While it was the worst day in our lives, dwelling on that act does not take away the pain inflicted on the minds of the families of all those who are no longer here, including us. Our parents, Major General Janaka Perera and Wajira Perera, to us Ammi and Thaththi, were larger than life itself. They were both such vibrant and positive contributors to the world in general and Sri Lanka in particular. The world is certainly a bleaker place for their loss. Our parents were true patriots, dedicated to the betterment of Sri Lanka. Our father was not only held in high esteem publicly, he was adored by us at home. Most people only saw his public persona of duty, decency, reliability, honour, dignity and respect. They were not lucky enough to see the funny, relaxed and playful father and husband he was to us and to our mothers. He never resisted the opportunity to have a laugh with friends and loved ones, given half the chance. His generosity was only second to our mother. While we are proud of all his achievements in life, we truly miss this amazing man who taught us to stand up for what we believe in and always be proud of who you are. He was a decorated military man, proud of his over 40 years of service to Sri Lanka, first in the military, then later in life, through his diplomatic and brief political career. Thaththi was considered one of the most distinguished Army generals in Sri Lankan history. After retiring from the Army, he served as the Sri Lankan High Commissioner to Australia and thereafter as Ambassador to Indonesia. He was later elected as the Leader of the Opposition of the North Central Provincial Council, during a brief political career, which was cut short by an act of terror. He received many commendations for his exemplary military career and his significant roles in suppressing the JVP Insurrection in his early career, to the many roles he played in combating the LTTE terror during the most difficult periods of the Sri Lankan civil war. He had the unique distinction of being the Colonel Commandant of the then newly established Commando Regiment, the Special Forces Regiment and the Corps of Sri Lanka Engineers. Among his commendations were the awards for gallantry, Rana Wickrama Padakkama and Rana Sura Padakkama, distinguished service medal, the Vishista Seva Vibhushanaya, long service medals,Uttama Seva Padakkama, Sri Lanka Armed Services Long Service Medal, foreign service medal,Videsha Seva Padakkama. Combat service medals Purna Bhumi Padakkama, North and East Operations Medal, the campaign medals, Vadamarachchi Operation Medal and the Riviresa Campaign Services Medal as also, the Republic of Sri Lanka Armed Services and the Presidents Inauguration Medal. Although he was appointed Chief of Staff of the Sri Lanka Army, the same year he was subsequently by- passed for promotion as Army Commander, prompting his resignation in 2001, which led to his diplomatic and political careers. Thaththis military and diplomatic achievements would not have been possible without the love and support he received from our mother. Ammi was no less a patriot and had the same strength of character and sense of honour as Thaththi. She was one of the first six women officers to join the Sri Lanka Army Womens Corps in 1982 and she trained at the Womens Royal Army Corps College in England. While her military career was not as extensive as Thaththis, she was still able to pave the way for other young women to follow and join the military during those difficult times. Ammi was such a vibrant soul. She literally lit up the room whenever she entered. She was so full of joy and love. She was as dedicated to Thaththi as he was to her. Being the wife of Maj. Gen. Janaka Perera, a public figure, was probably not very easy, but Ammi handled it with grace. We believe Ammi was the most beautiful woman to ever live, not because of her physical appearance, although she was strikingly, beautiful. It was her heart and her mind that were truly remarkable. She was generous, warm and loving to everyone she met, and made every person feel so special. We have so many memories of loving moments, hugs, kisses and laughter with Ammi at the centre of it, that its hard to pick a time or moment. Anyone lucky enough to meet our mother was instantly drawn to her. Ammi taught us to always be strong and to love without condition. She was the true heart of our family, making sure everyone was taken care of and the house ran smoothly with her guidance and leadership. Thaththi progressed up the ranks throughout his career, but Ammi was the Queen and Commander-in- Chief from the day she married him. They were a great team, always together and supporting each other. In the end, that is how they left this earth. Even though it was a suicide bomber who took them away from us, they were together in death, just as much as they were, in their lives. As we remember and commemorate their lives, our Ammi and Thaththi, the two souls whose lives were brought to an end too soon, but whose lives brought joy and fulfilment to many, let us remember their legacy and remember to love without condition and live without regret. That is the motto which they lived by, throughout their lives. We love you and miss you both, Ammi and Thaththi. Your loss to us is irreparable!! Janukshi, Shehara and Ashanka My friend who was a true officer and gentleman Neville De Andrado He was my oldest and best friend. I have known him since age nine when we joined St. Josephs College together. Neville joined the Navy as a Dartmouth cadet. He had a distinguished career in the Navy and retired as a commander. He served in Colombo, Trincomalee and Karainagar. He was laid to rest with full Naval honours. After retiring from the Navy, he served as a harbour pilot. I was so proud to have been his friend and was so thrilled to witness the naval honours given to him.To have your coffin draped in the Lion flag is a singular honour that all Sri Lankans can be proud of. The Navy band played the Last Post and a gun salute completed the funeral service. Neville was a remarkable human being. He had a kind word for everyone and never criticized anyone. Neville was a good athlete and held the Public Schools relay record during his time. He had a son Ari and a daughter Nidhani. During his final illness Nidhani tried everything to keep him alive a bit longer. She was the apple of his eye and a loving and devoted daughter to him. Neville was a devoted Catholic and was prepared to meet his Maker. During his retirement, he did a lot of charity work devoting his time to helping the poor and the needy. He was a true officer and gentleman. He will be missed by all his friends and family. Farewell my friend, may the good Lord bless and keep you. We will miss you but you will live in our hearts forever. Dr. Hemal Fernando A friendship enriched by shared discussions on many topics CHANDANA B. HERATH My nodding acquaintance with Chandana grew to a friendship within a short period of time. I first got to know him in 1990 at SCS Sathosa Computer Services. We used to meet with others at the IT division after work to indulge in interesting conversations which extended to various topics such as politics, education, international affairs, matrimonial issues and many more. We argued on crucial matters and agreed on certain issues. Chandana was humble by nature, sincere and friendly. He was a remarkable debater and a keen listener. We were from the same school. At Royal College, Chandana excelled in sports. He was a coloursman in many sports. He also excelled in his studies and was selected to the University of Colombo where he obtained his degree with honours and went on to gain qualifications in Information Technology. He was a student at the PIM Post Graduate institute of Management, Sri Jayawardhanapura University, where he received his MBA. Thereafter he was employed in Ceylinco (Life) Insurance Company as a Senior Manager. Later he was promoted and designated as the Deputy CIO. With sheer perseverance and determination, Chandana rose in his career and became the CIO-Chief Information Officer until his untimely demise. May he attain Supreme Bliss of Nirvana. Ajith S. Amarakoon Dance drama Sivakamiyin Sabatham celebrates Kalalaya school of Dance and Music @70 By Ruqyyaha Deane View(s): View(s): The Sri Lanka Tamil Womens Union inaugurated by Dr. Mary Rutnam in 1909 is a community that strives to preserve the rich culture of Tamils. Their literature, art, music, dance, sculpture and drama have all been nurtured and grown prosperously through the encouragement of the SLWTU. On September 1, 1948, the SLWTU opened the Kalalaya School of Dance and Music to support Tamil culture, art and education. Celebrating the 70th anniversary of Kalalaya School of Dance and Music, the Sri Lanka Tamils Women Union (SLWTU) presented the poignant dance drama Sivakamiyin Sabatham at the Bishops College Auditorium, Colombo 3, on September 30. Written by Kalki Krishnamurthy and renowned as one of the most remarkable novels written in Tamil, Sivakamiyin Sabatham depicts a story of political intrigue, forbidden romance and unwavering strength. Through captivating dances from an ensemble of 40, we watched the heartbreaking story of Sivakami and Prince Narendravarmar, the cunning machinations of the monk Nagananthi and the tension between the Pallava and Chalukya kingdoms. The talented dancers selected were from students across the country, especially from Jaffna, led by Kalai Chelvi Nirmala John who choreographed all the dances in the drama. I.T. Benedict provided the script composition and direction with Isai Mudumaani Arunanthy Aruran supplying the music composition and direction. Gracing the occasion as Chief Guest was Professor Maithree Wickramasinghe who was welcomed by President of the Sri Lanka Tamils Women Union Nirmala Ragunatha, Principal of the Kalalaya School of Dance and music Selvi Sachithanandam, Chairperson of the fund-raising committee Vijitha Thambinayagam and others of the union. The concert proceeds would be used to improve facilities at the Kalalaya School of Dance and Music for its students. Anyone interested in learning music and dance at the Kalalaya Dance School located in 400/2, Bauddhaloka Mawatha, Colombo 7, please contact: Principal Selvi Sachithanandam at 0773679656 or Vice- Principal Selvanithy Kanagaratnam at 0777827315. Dancing queens get your tickets and support Zontians Mithuru Piyasa project View(s): A hundred years ago Marion de Forest had a dream. The American playwright and journalist from Buffalo, New York believed that women all over the world needed a voice, champions to protect their rights, their freedoms. And she attracted a group of like-minded women with whose help the Zonta International movement was born. Today there are some 30,000 Zonta women in 63 countries around the world, with some 200 of them in five Zonta Clubs in Sri Lanka. On October 23, the Zonta Club 11 of Colombo have put together a Mamma Mia Theme Party as a fundraiser for their most significant project the Mithuru Piyasa Counselling Centres. There are five such centres, sensitively designed and much supported by Zonta Club 11 where professional counsellors work devotedly with needy, often distressed families providing support, most significantly for the woman in the home. The Mamma Mia theme party at Elevate, Access Towers 2 will feature the awesome music of Abba from the well-loved musical Mamma Mia. There will be dancing, great food, themed cocktails and intriguing surprises. The Zontians hope for enthusiastic support from fun loving ladies and their men friends. So Colombos Dancing Queens and their Super Trouper guys might want to grab their tickets and be there. Secure in the knowledge that while they are having an unusually good time, they are supporting the Mithuru Piyasa Counselling Centres Banners for display at the event, and any voluntary donations will be gratefully accepted- please contact Zonta Club 11 President Meneka on 0777 669977. Tickets priced at Rs. 3,500 inclusive of dinner are available at Salon Nayana at Flower Road, at Commons by Harpo or with Zonta Club 11 President Meneka. The unheard voices of the left-behind By Smriti Daniel October 11 is International Day of the Girl Child View(s): View(s): An innovative project by Save the Children seeks to give a unique platform to children whose mothers have gone overseas in search of work Every day, Malini* meets another woman determined to leave Sri Lanka. As a Foreign Employment Officer in the islands Nuwara Eliya province, Malini is responsible for issuing Family Background Reports she fields, on average, 100 to 120 of these every month. To produce the report which migrant women workers must have Malini has to visit the womans home and see if there are children under five. If she finds any, the government official cannot approve the womans application. However, if there are children above five, and under 18, then Malini must confirm that safe arrangements are in place for their care and that the womans husband is aware of his wifes plans. If Malini isnt convinced on either count, then she wont clear the mother to leave. This government policy, in place since 2007, has been a controversial one; critics allege it prevents vulnerable women from supporting their families by banning them from the only form of work they can find. Malini says the main reason women leave is to address the familys income poverty or to escape a difficult home life. For many, migrating for work is their only hope of a better future for their families. As a result, the steady stream of departures continues. So much so that it is a key driver of this islands economy in 2015 alone, the World Bank estimated that Sri Lanka received $7.2bn in official remittances, the equivalent to 8.9 percent of the countrys GDP. However, the heart of the debate is not the women but the plight of left-behind children with their mothers miles away, many children are at risk of neglect and abuse. Strong measures, such as the Family Background Reports, are ostensibly all about protecting children. However, there are few to actually listen to their concerns. Now, an innovative new project by Save the Children is seeking to change this, raising awareness around these children by giving them a unique platform. As part of the Mother and Child Friendly Plantations programmedesigned to promote mother and child well-being in Sri Lankas tea industry the Every Last Child campaign is focused on child-led advocacy and research on the effects of parental migration on the children left behind. Under its umbrella are a slew of initiatives. These range from establishing the clubs themselves and training teachers and youth mobilizers to conducting workshops for the children. From these efforts have come a series of child-led videos and magazines produced by Childrens Clubs dotted across the plantations. Left behind children struggle to cope When it was Shanthinis* turn to submit a piece for the magazine, she decided to write a letter to her mother, who went abroad in 2010, when Shanthini was only 11 year-old. I missed my mother especially when I saw other children with their mothers, she says. In the comfort of their childrens club, Shanthini and her friends swapped stories. Other children spoke of being bullied by classmates or neglected by teachers; as one would expect not all caregivers were kind some made the children bear an unfair load of housework to earn their stay. Others dealt with alcoholic or physically abusive relatives. Many had no one to turn to in a crisis. Niranjala says its not uncommon for children to act out in such circumstances, something which 15-year-old Siva* confirms. Some of his closest friends have dropped out of school. They stay home, and many of them are addicted to alcohol and drugs, he says, frankly. Young girls in particular, have their own challenges. Walking home alone or returning to an empty house after school could be frightening, says Priyadarshini,* another young Childrens Club member. It can be hard to find words for these things. Priyadarshini settles on bad touching, saying:There are some things you can only tell your mother. It does not help their case that the child protection system in Sri Lanka does not prioritize the plantation community or children of migrant parents. Programmes targeted specifically at the children of labour migrants are few or non-existent. For Shanthini and her friends, the childrens club is that rare thing a completely safe space. Here, they can explore their talents and make new friends. They understand each other in the way adults never seem to. Siva is a favourite of Shanthini and the others. He is a skilled painter and loves to invent funny skits which he performs for the others to sounds of uproarious laughter. Because of this place I got a stage and platform to share my talents, otherwise they would have been buried and lost, he says. Children should be part of the decision-making Dr.Ramaswamy Pushpakaanthan, a child psychologist who himself grew up in this area says he sees the family dynamic shifting in the lives of the Childrens Club members not only have the children become more confident about speaking their minds, they also now have new platforms through which they can express themselves. The short films and magazines produced by the children were shared with their families and with the larger community. He believes adults were first surprised by the idea of children having a place at the table, but that this has slowly morphed into respect. We saw how they finally began to accept that children had to be part of the decision making process. Niranjala too has seen the videos. As a Foreign Employment Officer, she thinks theyve got the parents themselves thinking differently. There are some really good messages there, she says, explaining that she feels parents are beginning to consider how migration could impact their children. Priyadarshini, whose mother returned after three years abroad, says parents break down when they read the essays their children have written. She and her mother have had some honest, difficult conversations since the latter returned home. It is clear they both suffered because of the separation. Now, Priyadarshini hopes other families will pay attention to their childrens needs and be able to find new solutions to the challenges they face. We too are affected, so our voices must also be heard, she says. *Name changed to protect interviewees privacy. Upskirted on the streets of Maharagama Driven by anger, revulsion and a sense of duty to fellow Lankan women, Andrea Boekel, well known textile artist, speaks out View(s): View(s): It is 3 a.m. and I am awake with my heart pounding wildly. The sounds of nocturnal animals and insects outside provide a faint sense of reality that I am actually in my own surrounds. I have not been able to sleep for two whole nights; my appetite is non-existent and I am afraid to go out of the house. Images of a large bearded man with a protruding belly and an odour of stale sweat keep appearing in front of me. I feel humiliated, shamed and disgusted. I am one of the many victims who was unwittingly upskirted by a lecherous predator and I am taking a stand to speak of my anguish. Pamunuwa Road in Maharagama town is at any given time, a bustling, lively area. Known for its shops selling fabric, accessories, garments and all items related to the garment industry, this place is frequented mostly by females. There are many tiers of shops there large, fancy stores; pavements selling cut pieces and makeshift stalls selling fabrics, buttons, thread, clothes hangers and a variety of other craft-related items. Naturally, the largest volume of visitors would be women. That Thursday morning was no exception. I had decided to go to Pamunuwa with my employee, Dhammika, to buy some fabric. For more than 20 years, I have been engaged in a self-funded womens empowerment project employing widows and downtrodden women. I teach them hand embroidery and textile crafts that embellish garments. These garments are then sold and the funds go back into their wages and purchases of raw material. The garments are well received by the public. I was at a makeshift stall on the pavement choosing fabric and the lady proprietor was assisting me. Suddenly, I felt a shuffling by my feet and gave a cursory glance to see a well-built man bending down and picking something off the pavement that looked like money. It was then that Dhammika shouted to me that the man was using his camera phone to take pictures or videos up my skirt. By the time I recovered from my shock and horror, the man had disappeared into the milling crowd. I was totally unaware of what had transpired and it was Dhammikas watchful eye that had caught him first believing he was a pickpocket. Unable to take immediate punitive action, we walked back to my parked vehicle, when suddenly Dhammika pointed out the offender returning. Livid and trembling with revulsion I accosted him on the pavement and asked him in Sinhalese why he used his camera phone to upskirt me. I raised my voice as I was by now, furious. The man became defensive and suddenly switched to perfect English. I used my own phone to take a photo of him so I could post it on social media to warn other females of this country, but he grabbed my phone and threw it on the ground. Loathing and disgust overtook my sense of fear; I lashed out at him. The shopkeepers across the road saw the commotion and came to my assistance. They grabbed the phone from the man and demanded that he show them the photos on his device. He then claimed that the battery was dead. One shopkeeper located a phone charger but then he claimed that he had forgotten the password. By then, I was trembling with powerlessness. The shopkeepers asked me to take his phone to the Maharagama Police Station and told the offender to go to the Police to retrieve his phone. Something that shocked me occurred then; whilst I had the support of every man there, there were some women who were telling me that I was wrong to retain his phone!! I was aghast at their response I would imagine that they would empathise with me, but this was not so. Upon reaching the Maharagama Police I waited for my turn to record my statement when the offender walked in with another man. I then spoke to the Officer-in-Charge who brought the offender into his room and ordered him to open his phone for us to see the stored images. Again he mentioned the same excuses that he had forgotten his password, and he did not know his phone number. The Officer in Charge did not falter he ordered him to be remanded, the phone to be sent to the Government Analyst and a court case filed. His response was prompt and appropriate. However, the response from the woman police officer who was to record my statement was disturbing. Across the room I could see the man in a holding cell supported by his friend. The woman Police Officer was not upfront when answering my questions. I asked what the process would be from now on, she mentioned that the phone would be sent to the Government Analyst and a court case would be filed. I would be required to attend court when summoned and the embarrassing photos would have to be identified by me. She also said it would most likely be a long and protracted course of action. I felt I was being dissuaded from the whole process. I asked her through my tears, if there was no other recourse to justice. Could the Police not open his phone? Could they not persuade him to open the phone? Could they not do anything apart from filing a court case? The answer was a succinct no. She told me that I could take his phone, attempt to open it and if I found any compromising images, I could bring it back to the Police. With no other option available to me, I took the offenders phone and over a day, made several unsuccessful attempts to open it. Conceding defeat, I finally handed it over to the man in the presence of the Police the next day. The offender was a cab driver from Avissawella who had come to Pamunuwa with a client; it was obvious that he was very experienced in upskirting women. His reluctance and refusal to open his phone could have been because he probably had several more photos possibly even more horrifying, on his mobile device. He left the police station, with his phone in hand. In recent times, sexual molestation of women using digital devices has increased alarmingly. The perpetrators become bolder and more confident by the day, knowing that justice for the victimised woman is almost non-existent. While in theory, laws may exist, their implementation means that eventually the victim will be victimised. Sharing my story with several other women unearthed a shocking revelation there was not one woman who had not been a victim of sexual harassment in public. Respect towards women in Sri Lanka is on the wane; perpetrators are being dealt with very lightly and as a result, as technology spurts forward, more and more devices will be used to abuse women. It will take me a while to get over this sordid incident what I find hard to endure is the fact that the man still has unauthorised photos of me on his mobile device. Ironically, despite the fact that I brought the device to the very place that was supposed to offer me some reprieve, I found myself more isolated than ever. Support on social media has been very encouraging and although my voice may be a whisper on the wind, that Thursday certainly changed me. If my story and my experience can raise awareness and protect my sister Sri Lankans, I would consider my voice a deafening crescendo with the power to crush predators down to the murky depths where they belong. What is upskirting? Upskirting is the act of taking a photograph underneath a persons skirt without their consent. It is often performed in a public place such as on public transport or on an escalator, with crowds of people making it harder to spot people taking these photos. A large proportion of women are targeted in places such as busy streets, restaurants and shops. Being victim to such an incident can cause emotional distress for a long time after it has happened. Not only is the act itself sexually invasive, but the perpetrator can get photos of underwear or genitals which may be distributed or kept unbeknownst to the victim. Being a witness to or the victim of such an indecent act may make you feel incredibly uncomfortable and vulnerable, particularly if you are alone. If the person or persons responsible are exhibiting intimidating behaviours, then you may feel unable to confront them for fear of further discomfort and/or of being threatened. The knowledge that someone has taken potentially graphic images without consent can cause emotional distress for a long time after the event itself. Some upskirt and downblouse photos and videos are made specifically to upload onto the Internet, where many viewers seek such images taken surreptitiously. Such photographs are common on fetish and pornographic websites, as well as on video sharing sites such as YouTube. Attitudes hardened with the very widespread availability and use of digital photographic and video technology, most recently camera phones. Such technology was also being used to record upskirt and downblouse images for uploading onto the internet. Specialist websites came into existence where people could share such images, and terms such as upskirt, downblouse came into use. Celebrities were popular victims of such efforts. Issues of privacy and reputation began to be raised. Upskirt photos can be made in a variety of situations when a woman is ascending stairs or getting out of a car or sitting on a park bench; and downblouse photos can similarly be made in many innocent situations. Upskirt photos are usually taken by a mobile phone camera attached on the shoe or carried within a bag so it is very hard for a woman to notice that she is being photographed in this manner. The motives Sometimes, upskirt videographers or photographers are simply doing it for a thrill or on a dare from friends. However, such actions may also indicate a mental disorder. A psychiatrist in Singapore explains that the act could be part of a voyeuristic disorder where the offender frequently takes upskirt footage over a prolonged period. The idea behind taking the photos or videos is to achieve sexual arousal, either during the photography session or later on, when the offender reviews the photos at home. In some cases, these photography sessions may progress to an obsession, and the perpetrator may take more aggressive action, stalking or harassing the victim. The consequences At first glance, it may seem that the act of upskirting is fairly harmless, resulting in no direct bodily harm to the woman. However, studies show that women who are the victims of upskirting often feel violated and targeted. They may feel nervous and jumpy when they are going about their normal business during the day, and they may be more suspicious of strange men nearby. If these heightened feelings of suspicion and anxiety continue for a few weeks or more, victims of an upskirt photographer may be required to visit a counsellor or psychiatrist. Underlying mental issues of the perpetrator Men who find themselves obsessed with taking upskirt photos should also consult with a mental health professional. According to psychiatrists, the habit often begins with a pornography addiction that becomes stale. To keep obtaining the same level of sexual stimulation, the user progresses to the taking of live-action upskirt images. With proper mental health care, men who struggle with this compulsion can find ways to channel and control these feelings so that they can avoid traumatising or harming anyone. The law Upskirting is a criminal offence in the UK and Australia and several other countries. Perpetrators could face extended periods behind bars if found guilty. In Sri Lanka, the law surrounding such molestation is still sketchy. When garbage is music to the ears Brad Allgood, whose unique movie with a timely message on the environment, Landfill Harmonic will be screened today at the Viharamadevi Park, talks to Yomal Senerath-Yapa View(s): View(s): Deep in the rain forest of Nicaragua live the Mayangnas, a people of the mist. The music of this isolated forest people had never before been recorded by sound engineers. The first expedition that set out on the task was followed by Brad Allgood. The filmmaker recalls their venture into the region known ominously as Mosquito Coast. Their dug-out canoe would get stuck in the river as darkness spread, and the only option was to sleep in a house on the steep, muddy river bank, below which 26 pigs squealed in mortal terror of two jaguars crouching atop a jungle tree. We managed to sleep about 10 minutes, Brad marvels. Then there was the time, again in the Nicaraguan rain forest, when a type two hurricane flew about in fury all around them, bringing down trees. The team managed to escape and recorded the adventure on the next film Brad would be bringing out: Patrol, the story of the Rama Indians fighting for their traditional territory against infringing cattle ranchers. Brad Allgood is happy to share these tales of adventure, here in Colombo as part of the American Film Showcase, the film diplomacy programme of the USAs State Department. This is the first time the programme is visiting Sri Lanka, Jennifer Phan of the AFS says, and they wish to highlight Brads highly acclaimed movie, Landfill Harmonic. Brad, despite a gruff ginger beard and mustache, is gentle and handsome. He had always had a deep interest in behaviour change, and was in public health communications when he stumbled upon the idea of filmmaking as a concrete way to affect behaviour change. Standing out in Brads filmography is the unusual film Landfill Harmonic. It is the story of the recycled orchestra of Cateura, a small community outside the capital city of Asuncion, Paraguay. The instruments they play are entirely made from garbage. It is the kind of story that filmmakers crave, but takes a rare eye to hunt down. Both entertaining and educational, it looks at the power of music as a tool for transformation, as well as the message of believing in yourself, not giving up your dreams, and making the most out of what you have in life. Brad calls the movie an audience pleaser with a playfully affectionate smile. It had a great reception worldwide, appealing to many demographics: children, adults, students, teachers. For Brad it was a great source of inspiration, while he was making it and afterwards. Motivating, entertaining and fun, funny, heart warming- with surprises and twists, the movie has gone around the world through 200 odd festivals- I honestly cant remember exactly how many, Brad smiles apologetically. It gave him the signal honour of winning the Humanitas Prize for 2016, an accolade that celebrates television programmes and films that tell stories that change the world. Landfill Harmonic in fact beat Citizenfour, the 2015 Academy winner for best documentary feature. However, his favourite film was one he did in the Democratic Republic of Congo. Titled The Story of Abby and Kyalu, the film chronicled the story of a husband and wife abducted by rebels in 2008. Abby was forced into hard labour and Kyalu, his wife, was raped, and had a child as a result. Once they returned home, Abby sent Kyalu away. The film records how, through a group therapy programme, Abby was then able to change his behaviour. It turned out to be a touching story with moving emotions. Brads filmography makes for a long list, including such unique works as My Village, My Lobster on the indigenous lobster divers in Nicaragua. They address diverse issues, and not just the burning, urgent ones. One film in the pipeline for example is on Doc Severinsen, the band leader from Johnny Carsons Tonight Show, still playing the trumpet and touring at 91 years. Exploring his life through his music career, the film is about how to live a vibrant life to the end. Brad says he would like to move from the niche of documentary and feature films to narrative films. The transition would be slow though. His advice to novice filmmakers is that in the end, it all comes down to storytelling. By watching films you enjoy and reading books about stories, you learn to craft a sound story. Practise, and find people who are doing what you want to be doing; shadow them; find a mentor. Find like-minded people, work together and dont give up. Work hard and put in the effort and you can make it happen. Just as, after harrowing journeys into the heart of wild Nicaragua or the concrete jungles of Paraguay, he and his team would come up with movies which were to have deep social impact the world over. Brad Allgoods acclaimed film Landfill Harmonic will be screened today, October 7, at 5 p.m. at the open air theatre of the Viharamahadevi Park. The screening is open to all and will be supported with subtitles in English, Sinhala and Tamil. Keeping with the theme of the film, there will also be a stall specializing in products made with recycled waste. Munich betrayal was followed by 1939 Soviet betrayal Letters to the Editor View(s): View(s): This refers to Russian Ambassador Juri Materys article headlined Reflections on 80th anniversary of Munich betrayal (Sunday Times, Sept. 30 2018). The Russian Ambassador is basically right in criticising the outcome of the 1938 Munich Conference which led to the dismemberment of former Czechoslovakia by Hitlers Germany. Yet it is hard to fathom that the Ambassador does not mention a single word about another betrayal barely 11 months later: on August 23, 1939, the so-called Hitler-Stalin Pact was signed by the Soviet foreign ministers Vyacheslav Molotov and Nazi Germanys Foreign Minister Joachim von Ribbentrop (see pic), whereby the two dictators, Hitler and Stalin, not only entered into a non-aggression agreement but also divided Eastern Europe into spheres of interest. Only one week later, Hitler invaded Poland, thus starting the Second World War, and almost simultaneously Stalins troops occupied Eastern Poland. There Soviet troops some months later killed over 10,000 Polish officers in Katyn who had surrendered and been taken as prisoners. Moreover, while Hitlers Germany invaded Western Europe, several months later, Stalins troops annexed the independent Baltic republics of Latvia, Lithuania and Estonia, plus parts of Finland and Romania (Bessarabia). The brutal invasion resulted in the sending of thousands of citizens from these annexed countries to Stalins infamous Gulag prison camps where millions of interned Soviet citizens also suffered. Only when Hitler invaded Russia in June 1941 did the anti-Hitler coalition come into being. That is the complete historical reality. When the Russian Ambassador refers at the end of his article to the need for respect for the principles set down in the United Nations Charter, his words do not match the current reality. Just four years ago, in 2014, Russia illegally annexed Crimea from Ukraine although in 1994 Russia had guaranteed Ukraines territorial integrity. Moreover, Russian-supported militia still occupy large areas in Eastern Ukraine. As a consequence of this, the EU, the USA and Canada have imposed sanctions against Russia. So much for Russias respect for UN principles like national sovereignty and non-interference! Jorn Rohde, Ambassador of the Federal Republic of Germany The disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi: Saudis let Turkey to search consulate View(s): RIYADH (Reuters) Saudi Arabia will allow Turkey to search its consulate in Istanbul for prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who has been missing for days after entering the diplomatic mission earlier this week. The premises are sovereign territory, but we will allow them to enter and search and do whatever they want to do. We have nothing to hide, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said in a Bloomberg interview published on Friday. He said Khashoggi had left the building not long after he entered. Asked if Khashoggi faces charges in Saudi Arabia, Prince Mohammed said it was first important to discover where he was. If hes in Saudi Arabia, I would know that, he added.Human rights groups have called on Saudi Arabia to verify Khashoggis whereabouts after Turkish and Saudi authorities offered conflicting accounts of his disappearance, with Ankara saying there is no evidence he left the diplomatic mission and Riyadh saying that he exited the same day. Khashoggi, who has lived in self-exile in Washington for the past year fearing retribution for his critical views, entered the consulate on Tuesday to secure documentation for a forthcoming marriage, according to his fiance, who waited outside.If Saudi Arabia had detained Khashoggi without acknowledging it, his detention would constitute an enforced disappearance, Human Rights Watch said on Thursday. It called on Turkey to deepen its investigation into the case. The burden of proof is on Saudi Arabia to produce evidence for its claim that Khashoggi left the consulate alone, and that Saudi agents have not detained him, said Middle East director Sarah Leah Whitson.Press freedom watchdogs also raised red flags, while the Washington Post, which has regularly featured Khashoggis writing since last year, published a blank space where his column would normally appear. Given the Saudi authorities pattern of quietly detaining critical journalists, Khashoggis failure to emerge from the Saudi consulate on the day he entered is a cause for alarm, said Sherif Mansour, Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator for the Committee to Protect Journalists. Sophie Anmuth, head of the Middle East desk for Reporters Without Borders, called on both governments to ensure Khashoggi reappears quickly. Until otherwise demonstrated, he is still inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul and the Saudi authorities are responsible for his safety and well-being, she said in a statement. Hatice Cengiz, Khashoggis fiance, told Reuters he had been concerned about a crackdown on dissent in the kingdom, but assumed he was safe outside the country. Turan Kilak, a friend who heads the Arab Turkish Media Association, said Khashoggi received assurances from Saudi officials before his visit that he could enter safely.Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters that Khashoggi remained in the consulate and the authorities were negotiating with the Saudis to resolve the issue. The consulate said it was working with the Turkish government to uncover the circumstances of his disappearance.Khashoggi is a familiar face on political talk shows on Arab satellite television networks and used to advise Prince Turki al-Faisal, former Saudi intelligence chief and ambassador to the United States and Britain. Over the past year, he has written columns inveighing against Saudi policies towards Qatar and Canada, the war in Yemen and a crackdown on dissent which has seen dozens of people detained. Washington Post editorial page editor Fred Hiatt said the newspaper had reached out to anyone we think might be able to help locate him and assure his safety, including U.S., Turkish and Saudi officials. Saudi Arabia is ranked 169th out of 180 countries in RSFs 2018 World Press Freedom Index, a few places behind Turkey. All public protests are banned in the kingdom, as are political parties. Yemen war: UN investigation mission is only hope to address horrific crimes View(s): GENEVA, Switzerland The UN Human Rights Councils decision last week to renew an investigation into possible war crimes committed by parties involved in the Yemen conflict brought a faint glimmer of hope on a bloody war that the international community seems to have long forgotten. It is difficult, however, to say whether the extension of the mandate of the UN experts, who are looking into human rights violations, will force the warring factions to sit at the negotiating table. Given the disastrous situation in Yemen, this seems the only hope the country can cling to right now. A turn for the worse After the UN-sponsored talks between the warring parties failed to take place in early September, fears mounted that the conflict may irremediably take a turn for the worse, as if the cholera outbreak and the famine threatening some 22 million people werent bad enough. The continuation of the investigative mission led by UN experts, despite accusations of bias and lack of independence by the Saudis and the Emiratis, is perhaps the only tool left to wake up the world to the tragedy of Yemen and keep the consciences of the parties in check. The UN investigation led by the Tunisian, Kamel Jendoubi, has brought to surface horrific crimes committed by the Saudi-led coalition and Yemeni government forces on one side, and the Houthi rebel forces on the other. But the councils renewal of Jendoubis mandate succeeded by a razor-thin three votes, with a majority of Arab and African countries voting against it or abstaining. A no vote would have meant giving regional players and their proxies a free hand to butcher countless Yemenis virtually undisturbed. The vote showed how divisive the decision was and how the war on Yemen remains a controversial terrain where geopolitical interests of the three key players, Saudi Arabia and the US on one side and Iran on the other, will continue to clash in Yemen as well as in other conflicts of the Middle East. Some Western countries and in particular the US, UK, France and Spain, have come under increasing criticism for their arms sales to Saudi Arabia, with Amnesty International saying they should also be held accountable for war crimes in Yemen. Two of them, the UK and Spain, sitting on the council, voted in favour of the mandate. Horrific crimes The work which Jendoubi and his colleagues hope to continue has so far investigated violations committed between September 2014 and June 2018. From the recruitment of child soldiers to the creation of torture prisons, to the random kidnappings of women and children who are sexually abused and sold, the UN experts produced a report, titled Situation of human rights in Yemen, including violations and abuses since September 2014, that tells of Islamic State group-like practices performed by Saudi and Emirati defence forces and their proxies. The report unequivocally blames both the Arab coalition and the Yemeni government as well as the Houthis of committing horrific crimes in Yemen, suggesting they may constitute war crimes under international law. The coalition, according to the report, is using systematic torture and rape against prisoners and civilians, recruiting child soldiers and using blockades of food and fuel as collective punishments that have brought the countrys population on the brink of famine. The Houthis, who are a minority Shia group allegedly backed by Iran, are indiscriminately using weapons with wide area effects in a situation of urban warfare, in particular in the besieged area of Taiz. They also stand accused of practising torture of prisoners, persecuting minorities and recruiting child soldiers as young as eight. The findings are unequivocal: individuals in the government of Yemen, from among coalitions members including Saudi Arabia and the UAE and from the de facto authorities [the Houthis], have committed acts that, subject to determination by a competent court, may amount to international crimes, said Kate Gilmore, deputy high commissioner for human rights. The military campaign Since 2015 Saudi Arabia has been leading a military campaign in Yemen with the logistical support of the UK and the US, aimed at reinstating the legitimate government of President Abd Rabbuh Mansour Hadi, after the Houthis took control of the north of the country and the capital Sanaa. In retaliation for the Houthis launch of ballistic missiles into Saudi Arabia, since 2015 the coalition has imposed a blockade of Yemeni sea and land ports, thus disrupting the distribution of food, fuel and medicines amongst other essential goods. Prior to the conflict, Yemen imported nearly 90 per cent of its food, medical supplies and fuel. As a result, about 22 million out of a population of 29.3 million are in need of humanitarian assistance and protection, including 11.3 million in acute need. Some 2.9 million children and women are acutely malnourished, and less than 50 per cent of health facilities are functioning in the country, with 18 districts with no doctors. Clean water is less accessible and Yemen is suffering from the largest outbreak of cholera in recent history. Coalition air strikes have caused most of the documented civilian casualties, so far. In the past three years, such air strikes have hit residential areas, markets, funerals, weddings, detention facilities, civilian boats and even medical facilities, the UN experts said. According to UN figures, from March 2015 to June 2018, there were at least 16,706 civilian casualties, with 6,475 killed and 10,231 injured in the conflict. However, the real figure is likely to be significantly higher. - Barbara Bibbo is an Italian journalist living between Doha and Geneva. She has worked at Al Jazeera English for eight years, doing extensive research on international issues and world-leading figures for the Talk to Al Jazeera show. Courtesy the Middle East Eye. A longer version of the article appears on www.middleeasteye.net The Foreign Ministry said on Friday that it was "ridiculous" for Washington to characterize China's regular exchanges with the US as interference, after US Vice-President Mike Pence accused Beijing of meddling in American politics. "It is very ridiculous for the US side to stigmatize its normal exchanges and cooperation with China as China interfering in its internal affairs and elections," Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said in a statement. "China always follows the principle of noninterference in others' internal affairs, and we have no interest in meddling in US internal affairs and elections," Hua said. "The international community has already known fully well who wantonly infringes upon others' sovereignty, interferes in others' internal affairs and undermines others' interests. Any malicious slander on China is futile," the statement said. Pence's speech "made unwarranted accusations against China's domestic and foreign policies and slandered China by claiming that China meddles in US internal affairs and elections", Hua said. "This is nothing but speaking on hearsay evidence, confusing right and wrong and creating something out of thin air. The Chinese side is firmly opposed to it," she said. In Washington on Thursday, Pence said in a speech at the Hudson Institute, a Washington-based think tank, that China was using "wedge issues" such as tariffs to advance its political influence in the US and globally. He accused China of seeking to sway the US midterm elections on Nov 6, in retaliation for US trade policies against Beijing. Hua said China's policy toward the US is "consistent and clear-cut". "We are committed to joining hands with the US to work for nonconflict, nonconfrontation, mutual respect and win-win cooperation," she said. "We urge the US to correct its wrongdoing, stop groundlessly accusing and slandering China and harming China's interests and China-US ties, and take concrete actions to maintain the sound and steady development of China-US relations," she added. Pence also credited the US for China's rapid development, noting that China has become the world's second-largest economy. "Much of this success was driven by American investment in China," he said. Hua said China's development is mainly due to the Chinese people's hard work and its mutually beneficial cooperation with countries around the world. Cui Tiankai, China's ambassador to the US, said China wants to end the trade conflict, but the US position keeps changing, "so we don't know exactly what the US would want as priorities". "We are ready to make a deal. We are ready to make some compromise, but it needs the goodwill from both sides," Cui said in an interview with National Public Radio on Wednesday. Cui said he does not see sufficient goodwill from the US. "We offered to reduce the trade deficit of the United States, for instance. And we also presented a very good proposal to the US side about the further reform and opening-up in China, some of the so-called structural issues," he said. "Then I think more than once we had some tentative agreement between the two working teams. Then just overnight the tentative agreement was rejected, and the demand from the US changed. So this is very confusing, and this is making things very difficult," he said. Cui also spoke about the South China Sea. "We have sovereignty over many of the islands in the South China Sea. And this has been a long-standing position of China," he said. Cui said that at the end of World War II, the then-Chinese government, with the help of US naval ships, took back the islands from Japan. "It was American naval ships that sent Chinese troops to take back these islands from Japan. So we have a long-standing sovereignty over these islands, but we are also aware there are some territorial disputes," Cui said. "And now we're ready to work with other countries to have negotiations to have a final solution to such disputes," he said. "We understand this will take a long time, but in the meantime it is our intention to maintain stability there. That's why we are working on a code of conduct with the ASEAN countries. "Before we are able to solve the territorial disputes, we should work together to maintain stability, to try to engage in some joint development of resources there, to keep a good order in the region," Cui said. "So I just hope that the United States will join our efforts, will be helpful, not try to disrupt the process toward peaceful negotiations." People's Daily, in an opinion article published on Friday on its website, said US leaders' recent unwarranted accusations regarding China's internal and foreign policies are outdated and full of mistakes. The US accusations distort facts and confuse right and wrong, and are full of factual and logical errors that don't conform to the times, it said, describing the US positions as "numerous absurd arguments". Georges Mihaies, a member of the Intangible Cultural Heritage Task Force at UNESCO, said the US administration's harshness toward China is a temporary thing, since the two sides have many shared interests. Jon R. Taylor, professor of political science at the University of St. Thomas in Houston, Texas, said Pence's claim that China is attempting to tilt the US midterm elections against Trump is laughable. "After all, it was the US, not China, that initiated a series of massive tariffs and trade restrictions. To then turn around and claim that China is trying to influence the midterm elections because it responded to US tariffs is ludicrous," he said. Indonesia mulls leaving quake-flattened villages as mass graves Palu, Indonesia, Oct 6 (AFP) Oct 06, 2018 More bodies were unearthed from the earthquake-and-tsunami-ravaged Indonesian city of Palu on Saturday, as authorities move closer to calling off the search for the dead trapped under flattened communities and declaring them mass graves. Officials said Saturday the death toll had climbed to 1,649 with more than a thousand feared still missing in the seaside city on Sulawesi island. More than 82,000 military and civilian personnel, as well as volunteers, have descended on the devastated city, where relief groups say clean water and medical supplies are in short supply. After days of delays, international aid has slowly begun trickling into the disaster zone where the UN says almost 200,000 people need humanitarian assistance. But hopes of finding anyone alive a full eight days later have all but faded, as the search for survivors morphs into a grim gathering of the dead. At the massive Balaroa government housing complex, where the sheer force of the quake turned the earth temporarily to mush, soldiers wearing masks to ward off the stench of death clambered over the giant mounds of mud, brick and cement. Vast numbers of decomposing bodies could still be buried beneath this once-thriving neighbourhood, the search and rescue agency said. Two soldiers who are part of the search emerged from a ditch with a body bag sagging in the middle but looking too light to be a corpse -- they said they had found the heads of two adults and one child. "There are no survivors here. We just find bodies, every day," said Sergeant Syafaruddin, from an army unit in Makassar south of Palu, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. - Health fears - At the flattened Hotel Roa-Roa -- where early optimism that survivors might be found faded as the days wore on -- rescuers reviewed CCTV footage to get a sense of where the doomed guests could be buried. In Petobo -- another village all but wiped off the map -- teams struggled to extract bodies from the muck, often dislodging limbs loosened by decomposition after more than a week exposed to the elements. The search for survivors has not officially been called off. But security minister Wiranto said the government had been discussing with local leaders and religious figures as to when the worst-hit areas would be declared mass graves, and left untouched. "We have to make a decision as to when the search for the dead will end. Then, we later must decide when the area will be designated a mass grave," he told reporters late Friday. Concerns are growing that decomposing bodies could pose a ticking time-bomb for public health. "Most of the bodies we have found are not intact, and that poses a danger for the rescuers. We have to be very careful to avoid contamination," Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told AFP from Palu. "We have vaccinated our teams, but we need to be extra cautious." Thousands of survivors continued to stream out of Palu to nearby cities in the aftermath of the disaster. Hospitals remain overstretched and short on staff and supplies. In Karawana village, nurse Iyong Lamatowa can offer little more than antibiotics and painkillers to treat those flocking to a makeshift clinic with badly-infected wounds. Project HOPE, a medical NGO, said only two of its 82 staff in Palu had reported for duty since the quake. "We still don't know the fate of the clinic doctors, nurses and technicians who usually staff the clinic," the organisation said in a statement. A floating hospital run by the Indonesian navy and docked in Palu has already assisted with the delivery of four babies. One named her child Suharsi, after the ship that helped deliver her baby -- the KRI Dr Soeharso. - Short supplies - Survivors have ransacked shops and supply trucks in the hunt for basic necessities, prompting security forces to round up dozens of suspected looters and warn that they will open fire on thieves. Hundreds of people Saturday rushed a truck transporting gas cylinders for cooking while a supermarket that opened for business under military guard refused to allow people inside, instead passing goods through the door. A convoy of five hundred trucks laden with donated food, cooking oil and other essentials was on its way to Palu, agriculture minister Amran Sulaiman said in the devastated city on Saturday. "Palu's ordeal is grief for all of us and that's why everyone is lending a hand to help," he said. The United Nations said Friday it was seeking $50.5 million "for immediate relief" to help victims. Getting vital supplies to the affected areas has proved hugely challenging, with the number of flights able to land at Palu's small airport still limited, leaving aid workers facing gruelling overland journeys. Oxfam had sent water treatment units and purification kits to Palu and Swiss aid teams on the ground were providing drinking water and emergency shelter, both said in statements Saturday. Indonesia sits along the world's most tectonically active region, and its 260 million people are vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. Brief History of Assyrians Peter BetBasoo Revised on November 1, 2013 Geography Assyria is located in north Mesopotamia and spans four countries: In Syria it extends west to the Euphrates river; in Turkey it extends north to Harran, Edessa, Diyarbakir, and Lake Van; in Iran it extends east to Lake Urmi, and in Iraq it extends to about 100 miles south of Kirkuk. This is the Assyrian heartland, from which so much of the ancient Near East came to be controlled. Two great rivers run through Assyria, the Tigris and the Euhprates, and many lesser ones, the most important of which being the Upper Zab and Lower Zab, both tributaries to the Tigris. Strategically surrounding the Tigris and the two Zabs are the Assyrian cities of Nineveh, Ashur, Arbel, Nimrod and Arrapkha. To the north and east of Assyria lie the Taurus and Zagros mountains. To the west and south lies a great, low limestone plateau. At the southern end of Assyria the gravel plains give way to alluvium deposited by the Tigris, and farther south there is insufficient rainfall for agriculture without irrigation. These two features create a geogrpahical boundary between Assyria and the neighboring land to the south. To the south of Baghdad lies Babylon. There is a stark geographical distinction between Babylonia and Assyria. To quote Saggs, A journey in spring from Baghdad, the capital of modern Iraq and within the Area of Ancient Babylonia, to Mosul [Nineveh], which is near several old Assyrian capitals, takes the traveller into what is manifestly a different country. In the region of Baghdad and southwards the predominant vegetation is palm trees. . .The terrain is flat to the horizon, and for most of the year its sun-parched earth is arid and dead wherever irrigation ditches do not reach. Approaching Mosul [Nineveh] the traveller finds a striking change. The flat terrrain gives way to undulating plains, in spring green with pasturage or cereal crop and gay and scented with flowers and clover. The rolling plains are cut with wadis, aflow after spring rains, with higher ranges of hills on the horizon. The traveller has reached Assyria. [Might that was Assyria, page 5] The Assyrian land is rich and fertile, with growing fields found in every region. Two large areas comprise the Assyrian breadbasket: the Arbel plain and the Nineveh plain. To this day these areas remain critical crop producers. This is from where Assyria derived her strength, as it could feed a large population of professionals and craftsmen, which allowed it to expand and advance the art of civilization. Racial Type Assyrians are a Semitic peoples indigenous to Mesopotamia. They are Mediterranean Caucasoids, and are ethnically distinct from Arabs and Jews. Language Assyrians have used two languages throughout their history: ancient Assyrian (Akkadian), and Modern Assyrian (neo-syriac). Akkadian was written with the cuneiform writing system, on clay tablets, and was in use from the beginning to about 750 B.C.. By 750 B.C., a new way of writing, on parchment, leather, or papyrus, was developed, and the people who brought this method of writing with them, the Arameans, would eventually see their language, Aramaic, supplant Ancient Assyrian because of the technological breakthrough in writing. Aramaic was made the second official language of the Assyrian empire in 752 B.C. Although Assyrians switched to Aramaic, it was not wholesale transplantation. The brand of Aramaic that Assyrians spoke was, and is, heavily infused with Akkadian words, so much so that scholars refer to it as Assyrian Aramaic. Religion Assyrians have practiced two religions throughout their history: Ashurism and Christianity. Ashurism was, of course, the first religion of the Assyrians. The very word Assyrian, in its Latin form, derives from the name of Ashur, the Assyrian god. Assyrians continued to practice Ashurism until 256 A.D, although by that time, most Assyrians had accepted Christianity. Indeed, Assyrians were the first nation to accept Christianity, and the Assyrian Church was founded in 33 A.D. by Thomas, Bortholemew and Thaddeus. History of Assyrians It is convenient to divide Assyrian history into six periods: Emergence: Beginnings To 2400 B.C. First Golden Age: 2400 B.C. to 612 B.C. First Dark Age: 612 B.C. to 33 A.D. Second Golden Age: 33 A.D. to 1300 A.D. Second Dark Age: 1300 A.D. to 1918 A.D. Diaspora: 1918 A.D. To The Present Emergence: Beginnings To 2400 B.C. In 1932, Sir Max Mallowan, the eminent British archaeologist, dug a deep sounding which reached virgin soil ninety feet below the top of the mound of Nineveh; this gave a pottery sequence back to prehistoric times and showed that the site was already inhabited by 5000 B.C.. Very soon after that, the two other great Assyrian cities were settled, Ashur and Arbel, although an exact date has yet to be determined. Arbel is the oldest extant city, and remains largely unexcavated, its archaeological treasures waiting to be discovered. The same holds for Ashur. It is clear that by 2500 B.C., these three cities were well established and were thriving metropoli. This period of history saw the development of the fundamentals of our civilization: animal domestication, agriculture, pottery, controllable fire (kilns), smelting, to name but a few. As regards Assyrians, because of it rich corn fields, Arbel was one of the very earliest permanent agricultural settlements. Between 4500 and 2400 B.C., complex societies appear in the form of cities, with craft specialization and writing. These features were associated with the Sumerians, but they quickly spread to other parts of Mesopotamia, including Assyria. In Assyria, settlements had become large and guarded by fortifications walls, which implies the risk of attack from outside, and hence the need for defense and warfare. First Golden Age: 2400 B.C. to 612 B.C. We enter into an extremely fruitful period in Assyrian History. This period would see 1800 years of Assyrian hegemony over Mesopotamia, beginning with Sargon of Akkad in 2371 B.C. and ending with the tragic fall of Nineveh in 612 B.C. Sargon of Akkad established his kingdom in 2371 B.C., becoming the first king to assert control outside of his city-state. His model would be followed by all succeeding empires, down to our times. From his base at Akkad, south of Baghdad, Sargon would come to control territories stretching north to Ashur and west to the Mediterranean. Shamshi-Adad I would establish his kingdom in 1813 B.C. Shamshi-Adad forever united the three cities of Ashur, Nineveh and Arbel into one cohesive unit, and brought Arrapkha firmly into the Assyrian sphere, so that henceforth these four cities, and Nimrod, would constitute the very core of Assyria. Under Shamshi-Adad I, the long established Assyrian merchant colonies of Cappadocia saw renewed activity. Shamshi-Adad accomplished this through his administrative efficiency and political skill. In 1472 B.C. or there about, a Mittanian king annexed Assyria, and this lasted for about 70 years. Mittanian control was decisively thrown off by about 1365 B.C. by Ashuruballit, who laid the foundation of the first Assyrian empire. Invaders from the Taurus mountains, north of Assyria, posed a significant threat to Assyria, and occupied Arik-den-ili for a number of years, but were successfully repelled, paving the way for Adad-narari (1307 B.C.) to establish the first Assyrian empire, which lasted until approximately 1248 B.C. A new power from south-west Iran, the Elamites, would assert control over Babylon for 30 years. This affected Assyria slightly. The death of Ashurdan in 1135 B.C. brough instability as his two sons vyed for the crown. Their terms only lasted one year, and Ashur-resh-ishi I ascended to the thrown in 1133 B.C. The Middle Assyrian empire began in 1307 B.C. with Tiglath-Pileser, who greatly expanded Assyrian territory. It is also during his reign that a significant development occurs, that of the Aramean migrations into Assyria. This would have a profound impact on Assyria and Assyrians, as we shall see. Tiglath-Pileser states "I crossed the Euphrates twenty eight times...in pursuit of the Arameans." This would ultimately prove unsuccessful. Tiglath-Pileser was not only a military man, but also a sportsman. Upon reaching the Mediterranean, he took the time, he tells us, to go dolphin hunting. He also established several zoos in Assyria, as he had a fascination with foreign animals. The Aramean problem persisted during the reign of Tiglath-Pileser's successor and son, Ashur-bel-kala 1074-1057), who tells us that the Arameans were penetrating deep into Assyrian territory, including Tur Abdin, Harran and Khabur. For the next century Assyria declined, the Aramean disruptions being the principal cause. It was not until 934 B.C., by which time the Arameans had settled into stable kingdoms in Mesopotamia, that Assyria would reemerge. Ashur-dan II would concentrate on rebuilding Assyria within its natural borders, from Tur Abdin to the foothills beyond Arbel. He built government offices in all provinces, and as an economic boost, provided ploughs throughout the land, which yielded record grain production. He was followed by four able kings, who used the foundation which he had laid to make Assyria the major world power of its time. The four Kings that followed Ashur-dan II were Adad-nerari II (his son), Tukulti-Ninurta II, Ashur-nasir-pal II, and Shalmaneser III. Adad-nerari would provide the final solution to the Aramean problem. He defeated the paramount Aramean chief at Nisibin and, marching up and down the Khabur, he obtained formal submissions from a series of Aramean controlled cities. Ashur-nasir-pal II would bring under Assyrian control the area from south Lebanon to the Zagros mountains, with loose control over the Taurus region. Diyarbekr was under direct Assyrian control. Skipping ahead to Shamshi-Adad V, and I mention him because his wife was none other than Sammurammat, or Shamiram, whom so many Assyrian woman are named after today. There is a stele about her, it says: Stele of Sammurammat Queen of Shamshi-Adad King of all, king of Ashur mother of Adad-nerari King of all, king of Ashur Daughter-in-law [kalta] of Shalmaneser King of the four regions We come now to the beginning of greatest expansion of the Assyian empire with Tiglath-Pileser III (745-727); through a series of able kings, Sargon II, Sennacherib, Esarhaddon, Ashurbnaipal, Assyria would extend its rule over a vast area, from Egypt up to cyprus to the west, through Anatolia, to the Caspian in the east. The Assyrian empires, particularly the third one, had a profound and lasting impact on the Near East. Before Assyrian hegemony would come to an end, the Assyrians would bring the highest civilization to the then known world. From the Caspian to Cyprus, from Anatolia to Egypt, Assyrian imperial expansion would bring into the Assyrian sphere nomadic and barbaric communities, and would bestow the gift of civilization upon them. And though today we are far removed from that time, some of our most basic and fundamental devices of daily survival, to which we have become so accustomed that we cannot conceive of life without them, originated in Assyria. One cannot imagine leaving his home without locking the door; it is in Assyria where locks and keys were first used. One cannot survive in this world without knowing the time; it is in Assyria that the sexagesimal system of keeping time was developed. One cannot imagine driving without paved roads; it is in Assyria where paved roads were first used. And the list goes on, including the first postal system, the first use of iron, the first magnifying glasses, the first libraries, the first plumbing and flush toilets, the first electric batteries, the first guitars, the first aqueducts, the first arch, and on and on. But it is not only things that originated in Assyria, it is also ideas, ideas that would shape the world to come. It is the idea, for example, of imperial administration, of dividing the land into territories administered by local governors who report to the central authority, the King of Assyria. This fundamental model of administration has survived to this day, as can be seen in America's federal-state system. It is in Assyria where the mythological foundation of the old and new testament is found. It is here that the story of the flood originates, 2000 years before the old testament is written. It is here that the first epic is written, the Epic of Gilgamesh, with its universal and timeless theme of the struggle and purpose of humanity. It is here that civilization itself is developed and handed down to future generations. It is here where the first steps in the cultural unification of the Middle East are taken by bringing under Assyrian rule the diverse groups in the area, from Iran to Egypt, breaking down ethnic and national barriers and preparing the way for the cultural unification which facilitated the subsequent spread of Hellenism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. First Dark Age: 612 B.C. to 33 A.D. The Assyrian empire collapsed in 612 B.C. The Assyrian people survived the loss of their state, and they remained mostly inconspicuous for the next 600 years. The Persians mention employing Assyrians as troops, and there is the failed attempt at reestablishing an Assyrian Kingdom in 350 B.C.; the Persians squelched this attempt and castrated 400 Assyrian leaders as punishment. Second Golden Age: 33 A.D. to 1300 A.D. Assyrians continued living in their homeland throughout this dark age, until that momentous moment in human history, when the Lord Son of God gave himself for the salvation of mankind. Very soon after the crucifixion, the bulk of the Assyrian population converted to Christianity, although there remained to be Ashurites, until 256 A.D. It was the Apostle Thomas, with Thaddeus and Bartholomew who came to the Assyrian city of Edessa and founded the Assyrian Church of the East, the first and oldest church in the world. Armed with the word of God, and after 600 years of dormancy, the Assyrians once again set out to build an empire, not a military empire, but a religious empire founded on divine revelation and Christian brotherhood. So successful was the Assyrian missionary enterprise, by the end of the twelfth century the Assyrian Church was larger than the Greek Orthodox and Roman Catholic churches combined, and it spanned the Asian continent, from Syria to Mongolia, Korea, China, Japan and the Philippines. When Marco Polo visited China in the thirteenth century, he was astonished to find Assyrian priests in the Chinese royal court, and tens of thousands of Chinese Christians. The Assyrian missionaries had reached China in the sixth century. With only the bible, a cross, and a loaf of bread in hand, these messengers had walked thousands of miles along the old silk road to deliver the word of God. So successful were the missionaries, when Genghis Khan swept through Asia, he brought with him an army over half of which belonged to the Assyrian Church of the East. So successful were the missionaries, the first Mongolian system of writing used the Assyrian alphabet. Armed with the word of God, Assyrians once again transformed the face of the Middle East. In the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries they began a systematic translation of the Greek body of knowledge into Assyrian. At first they concentrated on the religious works but then quickly moved to science, philosophy and medicine. Socrates, Plato, Aristotle, Galen, and many others were translated into Assyrian, and from Assyrian into Arabic. It is these Arabic translations which the Moors brought with them into Spain, and which the Spaniards translated into Latin and spread throughout Europe, thus igniting the European renaissance. By the sixth century A.D., Assyrians had begun exporting back to Byzantia their own works on science, philosophy and medicine. In the field of medicine, the Bakhteesho Assyrian family produced nine generations of physicians, and founded the great medical school at Gundeshapur. Also in the area of medicine, Hunayn ibn-Ishaq*s textbook on ophthalmology, written in 950 A.D., remained the authoritative source on the subject until 1800 A.D. In the area of philosophy, the Assyrian philosopher Job of Edessa developed a physical theory of the universe, in the Assyrian language, that rivaled Aristotle*s theory, and that sought to replace matter with forces. One of the greatest Assyrian achievements of the fourth century was the founding of the first university in the world. The School of Nisibis had three departments: theology, philosophy and medicine, and became a magnet and center of intellectual development in the Middle East. The statutes of the School of Nisibis, which have been preserved, later became the model upon which the first Italian university was based. When Arabs and Islam swept through the Middle East in 630 A.D., they encountered 600 years of Assyrian Christian civilization, with a rich heritage, a highly developed culture, and advanced learning institutions. It is this civilization which became the foundation of the Arab civilization. But this great Assyrian Christian civilization would come to an end in 1300 A.D. The tax which the Arabs levied on Christians, simply for just being Christian, forced many Assyrians to convert to Islam to avoid the tax; this inexorably drained the community, so that by the time Timurlane the Mongol delivered the final blow in 1300 A.D., by violently destroying most cities in the Middle East, the Assyrian Christian community had dwindled to its core in Assyria, and henceforth the Assyrian Church of the East would not regain its former glory, and the Assyrian language, which had been the lingua franca of the Middle East until 900 A.D., was completely supplanted by Arabic (except amongst the Assyrians). This, from 1300 A.D. until World War One, became the second Assyrian dark age. Second Dark Age: 1300 A.D. to 1918 A.D. The Assyrian missionary enterprise, which had been so successful throughout the Asian continent, came to an abrupt end with the coming of Timurlane the Mongol. The indiscriminate destruction leveled by Timurlane against the civilizations he encountered put to a permanent end the Assyrian missionary enterprise. A large segment of the Assyrian population escaped the ravages of Timurlane by fleeing into the Hakkary mountains (present day eastern Turkey); the remaining Assyrians continued to live in their homelands (presently North Iraq and Syria), and Urmi. The four Assyrian communities, over time, begin defining themselves in terms of their church affiliation. The western Assyrians, all of whom belonging to the Syriac Orthodox Church, began identifying themselves as "Jacobites". The remaining communities belonged to the Assyrian Church of the East. After the division of the Church of the East in 1550 A.D., the Chaldean Church of Babylon, a Roman Catholic Uniate, was created, and members of this church began to call themselves Chaldean. By the end of the nineteenth century, these three communities no longer saw themselves as one and the same. Diaspora: 1918 A.D. To The Present In this century, Assyrians have suffered massive genocide, have lost control of their ancestral lands, and are in a struggle for survival. The Assyrian nation today stands at a crossroad. One third of is in a diaspora, while the remaining two-thirds lives perilously in its native lands. These are some of the dangers facing the Assyrians: Denominationalism and fragmentation Islamic fundamentalism Arabization Cultural immersion and absorption into Arab societies Mass emigration to the West, and absorption into Western societies Population For over 6600 years Assyrians lived in their ancestral homeland, but beginning with the Turkish genocide of Assyrians in World War One, which began on April 24, 1915 and claimed 750,000 Assyrian lives (75%) by 1918, Assyrians began moving to the West. Today there are more Assyrians living in the West than in their ancestral homeland, and this exodus has accelerated sharply in the 21st century. World Assyrian Population Country Population click on a column name to sort The 2018 Nobel Peace Prize has been awarded to Nadia Murad, a Yazidi human rights activist and survivor of sexual slavery by Islamic State in Iraq, and Denis Mukwege, a gynecologist treating victims of sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of Congo. The Norwegian Nobel Committee said in a statement Friday that the award recognizes "their efforts to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war and armed conflict.'' Murad, 25, is the founder of Nadia's Initiative, an organization devoted to helping women victimized by genocide and other atrocities. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said Friday that Murad's "powerful advocacy has touched people across the world and helped to establish a vitally important United Nations investigation of the harrowing crimes that she and so many others endured." Murad, herself a victim of war crimes, "refused to accept the social codes that require women to remain silent and ashamed of the abuses to which they have been subjected," the Nobel Committee statement said. "She has shown uncommon courage in recounting her own sufferings and speaking up on behalf of other victims." In 2016, Murad told VOA Kurdish service that violence by Islamic State, or ISIS, against the Yazidis amounts to genocide. "Thousands have been killed -- 5,800 girls, children and women were sold, raped by ISIS... They kidnapped our children in order to train and preach [to] them on ISIS ideology: No future is left for the Yazidis." She said thousands of her people have fled and now live in "miserable" conditions in refugee camps. Murad called for the Islamic extremists to be held responsible for their actions. "An international tribunal should be formed as soon as possible," she said, "and Yazidis and other minorities who cannot protect themselves should be protected." Murad promised that she would stand up in such a court to make the case for her people. "I will be ready to testify in that court for every child, every woman, that has been raped by ISIS... so that justice can be done," she said. Activist Murad Ismael, who works with the global Yazidi organization known as Yazda, told VOA on Friday that this year's peace prize brings welcome attention to a crisis that is not over. "We're happy that this is finally being recognized and that the prize will hopefully put the Yazidi situation on the agenda to be discussed, as the Yazidi genocide is still ongoing," he said. Ismael added that the return of the Yazidis to their homeland is "almost impossible" at this time because northern Iraq is still studded with explosives. Designer Billy Tjong presented a collection based on tenun doyo hand-woven fabric and sulam tumpar (tumpar embroidery) at the Serenade of Tenun Doyo fashion show on Wednesday, Oct. 3, at Hotel Indonesia Kempinski, Central Jakarta. Originating from the East Kalimantan regency of West Kutai, tenun doyo is made of doyo plant fibers with patterns inherited from one generation to another, while sulam tumpar is an embroidery technique that mainly uses pop colors with patterns inspired by flora and fauna. The fashion show consisted of three parts; Madeind x Billy Tjong ready to wear collection, a deluxe collection and a wedding collection with a total of 26 looks. For the ready to wear collection, Billy has collaborated with online shopping platform Madeind for a fall/winter 2018 collection that combines tenun doyo with modern designs and asymmetrical patterns. It is available online with prices starting from Rp 800,000 ($52). Billy incorporated other materials into the collection as well, including silk, denim and silk organza. Hand-woven fabric can be stiff, so I tried to find a way to apply it to clothes, Billy told The Jakarta Post after the show on Wednesday. Read also: Preserving the weaving legacy Hand-woven fabrics usually have their own standard size, but Billy said several tenun doyo were made larger than their normal size for the show. He was also involved in the coloring process together with Lia Candrasari, one of the events initiators. We decided to display the original version of tenun doyo and sulam tumpar this time, said Billy. The show was part of The Beauty of West Kutai event that includes a book launch for Tenun Doyo dan Sulam Tumpar Seni Wastra Kutai Barat (doyo hand-woven fabric and tumpar embroidery art of West Kutai traditional fabric) by Syahmedi Dean, the Potret Indah Dayak Benuaq (beautiful portrait of Dayak Benuaq) photography exhibition by Honda Tranggono and a screening of The Beauty of West Kutai, a fashion film directed by Reza Bustami. Moreover, the event was the fruit of a collaboration between the West Kutai Handicraft Council (Dekranasda) and entrepreneur Lia Candrasari. Known as an art and Indonesian culture enthusiast, Lia explained the reason why she wanted to highlight tenun doyo. I saw its potential, Lia said during a press conference on the same day. I saw a traditional fabric that hasnt yet been brought to the public before and its not as popular as batik or songket [a sumptuous cloth interwoven with golden and sometimes silver thread]. Yayuk Seri Rahayu, head of the West Kutai Handicraft Council and wife of West Kuta Regent FX Yapan, said tenun doyo was worn by people from the Dayak Benuaq tribe. They usually wear it for traditional events, but as time goes by we want tenun doyo to be worn by anyone at any events, said Yayuk, adding that they have about 600 tenun doyo makers under the council with Tanjung Isuy village as its center. For now, Yayuk is focusing on marketing both traditional fabrics in Indonesia, but she has already seen the change in the economic side. The makers are now more active, she said. We also recommend students in West Kutai learn to weave tenun doyo and make sulam tumpar. (mut) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) - Sat, October 6, 2018 21:06 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877653437 1 Entertainment djakarta-warehouse-project,festival,#festival,DWPX,music,#music,Afrojack,Ismaya-Live Free Electronic music festival the Djakarta Warehouse Project (DWP) is set to return for its 10th edition on Dec. 7 to 9. However, unlike previous editions, the event returns under a new name, DWPX, and is slated to be held at Garuda Wisnu Kencana (GWK) cultural park in Badung regency, Bali. Kompas.com reported that the organizer, Ismaya Live, had always wanted to hold the event in other cities, explaining that DWP was a global brand and not limited to Jakarta. Ismaya Live brand manager Sarah Deshita shared that she had been toying with the idea of holding the festival in Bali since last year. Since the development of GWK has been completed, I think this is the best time to hold DWP in Bali, said Sarah. Read also: Djakarta Warehouse Project returns In regard to the performers, the organizer has announced the first and second phase line-up. Among the performers are The Weeknd, Major Lazer Soundsystem, DJ snake, Alesso, Dutch DJ Afrojack and Baauer, American record producer best known for hit song Harlem Shake. In a statement received by The Jakarta Post, Sarah mentioned that they would announce more names in the next two months. DWPX three-day passes are available on the events official website and other official sellers with a starting price of Rp 1.8 million (US$118.56). (jes/kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Tangerang, Banten Sat, October 6, 2018 10:06 1136 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087763f73a 1 Lifestyle Pet-Kingdom,Garda-Satwa-Indonesia,Davina-Veronica,animals,animal-shelter,animal-lover Free Pet supplies center Pet Kingdom in Alam Sutera, Tangerang, Banten province, has donated 800 kilograms of dog and cat food to animal rescue organization Garda Satwa Indonesia (GSI). The donation made on Saturday was part of the one-month Care for Paw program, according to kompas.com. Meutia Kumala, managing director of PT Graha Satwa Paramita, which runs Pet Kingdom, said the program aimed to raise awareness about animals in shelters. We plan to make this a routine event, with the hope of helping organizations that care for abandoned animals, she added. Read also: Jakpost guide to all about petsa GSI CEO Davina Veronica said the group appreciated the gesture. We hope that this will inspire other people to care for animals in shelters. We would also like to advocate for adoption, instead of buying, as there are many abandoned animals who need homes and affection, she said. The organization currently houses 40 dogs and 60 cats. The donation from Pet Kingdom will be able to feed the animals for up to four months, said Anisa Ratna Kurnia from GSI. (wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 23:03 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877654754 1 Entertainment Joko-Anwar,a-mothers-love,marissa-anita,HBO-Asia,actress,Movie Free Following her role in the 2017 teen drama Galih dan Ratna (Galih and Ratna), actress Marissa Anita makes her horror debut in Joko Anwars A Mothers Love. Penned by Joko himself, A Mothers Love follows the story of Murni (Marissa Anita) who discovers mysterious children in an attic. Her life with her son, Jodi (Muzakki Ramdhan), will never be the same as apparently the attic is the hiding place of Wewe Gombel, a female ghost who kidnaps children, and rescuing them means disturbing the ghost. I never thought Id be in a horror film, said Marissa Anita during a recent press conference in Jakarta, admitting that she actually fears horror movies. But when I read the script, I thought that its more drama than horror, with high emotional levels. Marissa explained that she did not do any research about the ghost before filming. I asked Joko about everything, he was able to give me the backstory and he really helped me to shape the character of Murni, Marissa said. Murni is said to be quite a challenging character. She has to maintain her love for her son despite being psychologically and emotionally disturbed by Wewe Gombel. I was inspired by my mother who takes care of her three children. As a mother, sometimes she gets annoyed by her children, but it doesnt mean she doesnt love them. But I wasnt imitating her. I can feel what she feels because were close enough, Marissa said. Read also: Joko Anwar explores emotional layers of Indonesian ghost in Folklore: A Mothers Love Director Joko Anwar (left), actor Muzakki Ramdhan (center) and actress Marissa Anita (right) talk at a press conference for 'A Mother's Love' on Friday, Sept. 14, 2018 at Grand Hyatt, Central Jakarta. (JP/Ni Nyoman Wira) Joko first cast Marissa in his 2015 series Halfworlds. During the press conference and phone interview with The Jakarta Post, he often praised her acting. Actors should be intelligent so they can accept my direction well and later develop it into something that is beyond my expectation, Joko said. I think Marissa exceeds that. Marissa is no stranger in the Indonesian film industry. She garnered attention in Selamat Pagi, Malam (In the Absence of the Sun, 2014), 3 Nafas Likas (2014), Istirahatlah Kata-kata (Solo, Solitude, 2016) and Galih dan Ratna. But it does not mean she accepts every role that is offered to her. She usually notices two things when selecting a film: the script and the director. If the script makes me feel something and the director does his best because of his understanding and love of the film, Id take it, Marissa said. I have declined several scripts because I was afraid Id disappoint the director by not being able to give my best and did not 'feel' the script. A Mothers Love is one of six episodes in HBO Asias Folklore anthology. It had its world premiere at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) held on Sept. 6 to 16 in Toronto, Canada, but will be aired for the first time via HBO, HBO GO and HBO On Demand on Oct. 7. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Vela Andapita (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 12:07 1136 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087764274d 1 Food warteg,cuisine,local-business,food,food-business Free Warteg (food stands from Warung Tegal a northern coastal town in Central Java) are commonly located in crowded areas and notorious for being cramped and unhygienic. But they do have their loyal customers from blue and white collar workers to students. A conventional warteg, which is usually 4 meters length, is simply furnished with wooden benches for customers. Warteg are known for being cheap and filling because owners are known to dish big porsi kuli (portions for laborers). But some businesses are taking warteg to the next level. (sau) Unlike conventional ones, some modern warteg are situated in shopping malls, providing clean and spacious areas with extra features like aircon and Wi-Fi, as well as offering comfortable seats while still serving affordable yet filling meals. One of them is Warteg Hitz, which was established by businessman Andri Yuda Permadi. Situated on Jl. Karang Tengah Raya in Lebak Bulus, South Jakarta, Warteg Hitz looks more like a cafe. The interior is dominated by monochrome colors like black, white and brown. Andri reminisced about the days when he still worked for a private company in the early 2000s and often had lunch at a warteg close to his office. He said he loved the concept because it served a variety of dishes that never bored him. Im a warteg enthusiast, he told The Jakarta Post on Thursday. Ive been to most of the popular warteg all over the city. A few years ago, I had a dream to create a better warteg. In 2016, he and some of his partners opened Warteg Hitz. As of today, the stall employs 12 people and it has 40 menu items. We have almost everything that regular warteg has, such as sauteed vegetables, chicken, beef and eggs, as well as plant-based protein like fried tempeh and tofu, Andri explained. A meal complete with rice, vegetables, protein and a beverage at Warteg Hitz costs around Rp 20,000 (US$1.33) to Rp 30,000. Andri said the eatery was initially aimed at inspiring conventional warteg to upgrade their facilities while maintaining their special characteristic: cheap homemade food. At first, I wanted to introduce this concept to those who have been eating regularly at warteg [including low income people]. But as time goes by, we receive more well-off workers who want to eat cheaply but comfortably, he said. Andri also wished someday he could work with conventional warteg and help them improve their services. Warteg Hitz and other modern warteg also keep the traditional touch screen method, where customers can choose whatever dishes they like by simply pointing at the displayed food behind the glass shelf while the vendors scoop the dish onto their plates. According to an article titled History of Jakarta Warteg Cooperative published in Tempo magazine in December 2012, glass shelf dates back to 1948 when warteg Pak Warno near the old airport in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta, first used them. Unlike conventional warteg (food stalls selling homemade food), some upgraded eateries in Jakarta offer the same affordable and filling meals but with better services. Warung Pedes in Kemang, South Jakarta, sells dozens of dishes in an air-conditioned restaurant with free internet connection. (Courtesy of Warung Pedes/-) Another modern warteg located in Kemang, South Jakarta, is Warung Pedes, which specializes in spicy food. By charging customers only around Rp 35,000 per meal, Warung Pedes operational manager Ade Nugroho claims the eatery has no competitor in the area. Were open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The place is crowded during lunch hours, after work and on weekends, he told the Post. We have three specialty sambals namely sambal gledek (extremely spicy sambal), sambal goreng (fried sambal) and sambal matah (raw sambal). Anita Rahmi, who works in South Jakarta, said she sometimes visited Warung Pedes to have lunch or just hang out with her colleagues after work. I love the place because its clean and comfortable. I can have a variety of dishes for the same price I would spend on the cheapest item at other restaurants around here. Warteg meals have been upgraded by Dade Akbar and he has shared photos of his version of simple dishes turned into a five-star presentations on his Instagram account @warteggourmet, which has about 45,000 followers. Amid the growing modern warteg, Warteg Warmo is still popular as many prominent figures have visited the place. It was established by a pedicab driver from Tegal and his brother in the 1970s. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 16:01 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877649451 1 Art & Culture Atreyu-Moniaga-Project,photography,Chrysalis,exhibition Free Most people believe that the death deity takes the form of a scary, black-winged figure holding a sharp scythe. But through the lens of Rapha Lisa in the Memento Mori fashion editorial, it transforms into colorful figures based on different mythologies, including the Norse and Welsh. Rapha Lisa stands in front of her works at 'Chrysalis' fashion photography exhibition on Thursday, Sept. 27 at Artotel Thamrin, Central Jakarta. Although based on mythologies and history, Rapha still gives some twists to her 'Memento Mori'. (Atreyu Moniaga Project/File) Rapha, who is fond of history and fashion, was inspired by her fear when creating the works. At the age of 25, I feel like Im running out of time to make artworks, Rapha said during a press conference for the "Chrysalis" fashion photography exhibition on Thursday in Central Jakarta. She believed that death is actually the beginning where people meet the death deity. I want [the death deities] to be beautiful, so I wont be afraid to meet them. Rapha is one of the three photographers from the fifth generation of ST/ART, a class that is part of the Atreyu Moniaga Project photography incubation program. The Atreyu Moniaga Project is an art community established by illustrator Atreyu Moniaga that offers an annual incubation program for young photographers and artists. For Chrysalis, they have collaborated with Persona Management and all of the behind-the-scenes will be put into an artbook, Chrysalis, with Nin Djani as the editor-in-chief. The event runs for 25 days from Sept. 27 to Oct. 21 at the mezzanine floor of Artotel Thamrin, Central Jakarta. Read also: Emerging illustrators ponder the past at Mixed Feelings: 03 exhibit Yon Beni sits in front of his 'Revelare' photos at the 'Chrysalis' fashion photography exhibition on Thursday, Sept. 27 at Artotel Thamrin, Central Jakarta. (Atreyu Moniaga Project/File) Photographer Yon Beni, meanwhile, aims to humanize models in honest and melancholy ways in the fine art documentary photography series Revelare. I had never taken photos of models before and I thought they were snobbish and arrogant, Beni said. But that didn't happen with [the models he shot]. Theyre just human beings. They have their own problems and there is more to them than just looking glamorous at parties. Meanwhile, photographer Nathanael Moss celebrates the young Jakartans through his Suck Party fashion editorial. Its about five close friends who want to attend a party, but it turns out to be awful, said Nathanael. So instead of going home, they decide to have fun in the street. Nathanael Moss in front of his 'Suck Party' fashion editorial. The photos were shot in places that symbolize Jakarta, including Mangga Besar, West Jakarta. (Atreyu Moniaga Project/File) Chrysalis is an attempt by Rapha, Beni and Nathanael to be honest through their works. Prior to the exhibition, they used to follow trends instead of their hearts. I once did everything Atre [Atreyu Moniaga] asked and I always played 'safe'. When it was finished, I was confused because I kept following him, Nathanel said. Beni also spoke of his honesty in Revelare. Its about how I talk to myself. When youre honest, your works will speak, he said. Success happens when our work can deliver a message to people. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) - Sat, October 6, 2018 20:07 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776525b7 1 Art & Culture batik,#batik,village,#village,Yogyakarta,#Yogyakarta,Communications-and-Information-Ministry,batik-village Free The Communications and Information Ministry has introduced what it calls a cyber-batik village in an effort to fuse age-old tradition with modern technology. Kampung Batik Manding Siberkreasi is located in the Wonosari district of Yogyakarta, and anyone who cannot visit right now may follow it on Instagram. Kompas.com reported that in the village, digital technology is used to design and spread information about batik. However, despite using technology, the village still relies on human skills to create the traditional fabrics. Read also: Mattel Indonesia launches Barbie Batik Kirana for younger generation Introducing the project, the ministrys information applications director general, Semuel Abrijani Pangerapan, said on Tuesday that art was a unique thing in the digital era, and people were looking for art pieces like batik. Meanwhile, Kampung Batik Manding Siberkreasi head Guntur Susilo said 15 houses in the village offered batik. They were managed by cooperatives and would receive profits at the end of the year. We have [established] cooperatives to avoid unhealthy competition, explained Guntur. FX Endro Tri Guntoro, one of the administrators of Kampung Batik Manding Siberkreasi, added that the village also welcomed other areas that wanted to collaborate in promoting batik. (jes/wng) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 06:51 1136 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087763c8a8 1 National Central-Sulawesi-earthquake,Palu-Earthquake-Tsunami,Donggala-earthquake-tsunami,#CentralSulawesiQuake,#PaluTsunami,#DonggalaEarthquake Free The National Police have arrested over 90 suspected looters in disaster-hit areas in Central Sulawesi following a strong earthquake and a killer tsunami that swept the region last week. National Police spokesperson Insp. Gen. Setyo Wasisto said the arrested suspects allegedly stole cash from ATM machines, as well as cellphones. The first report I received said the police arrested 49 [suspected looters]. And then the second report added 42 more. So, in total, the police arrested over 90 suspects, Setyo said on Friday, as quoted by kompas.com, adding that the suspects had been detained by the Central Sulawesi Police. He went on to say that everyone who broke the law would receive punishment. Read also: Aprindo blames govt for looting in earthquake-hit Palu In addition to the arrests, the police have also been conducting regular patrols in certain parts of the region to restore order and security. Previously, Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo advised against looting, not even in the wake of a natural disaster, calling it a criminal act. Theres no justification whatsoever for looting. Everyones equally affected by the disaster; their shops destroyed, shopping malls devastated, Tjahjo said. Prior to last weeks statement, news spread on social media that the government had approved of survivors taking from convenience stores and that the losses would be covered by the government. However, Tjahjo denied this, saying that what the government had approved of was the transfer of aid funds to the Central Sulawesi administration, to be used for food supplies for survivors. (rfa) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Marc Burleigh (Agence France-Presse) Rio de Janeiro Sat, October 6, 2018 10:18 1136 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b30877640d1a 2 World Brazil,Jair-Bolsonaro,presidential-bid,presidential-election,communism,socialism,Far-Right,Catholicism,evangelist-church Free Brazil holds presidential and legislative elections on Sunday. A far-right politician promising a hard line on crime and corruption, Jair Bolsonaro, is the frontrunner for the top job. Here's what you need to know: How important are the elections? Brazil is one of the most important emerging economies out there, one of the BRICS and Latin America's biggest democracy. Whoever ends up as president will be at the helm of the world's 8th-biggest economy, an oil producer and major energy consumer whose chief trading partner is China. Yet it's only three decades since Brazil shucked off a military dictatorship. And it has just emerged from its worst-ever recession, which wiped away much of a preceding decade of prosperity. Who is Bolsonaro? Out of a field of 13 presidential candidates, Bolsonaro is by far the most controversial and polarizing. Once an army captain, he has been a deputy in Brazil's congress since 1991, during which he became known for offensive remarks against women, gays and Brazil's mostly black poor. But he also has a healthy polling lead over rivals -- attributed to his tough-guy promises to crack down on crime and graft, and his canny use of Facebook to reach out to voters. Massive protests by Brazilian women have been held against Bolsonaro. Although a Catholic, he has the backing of an influential evangelical bloc in congress that would help him govern if he wins the presidency. A stabbing attack by a lone knifeman last month as he campaigned only increased sympathy for him -- and for his pledge to be ruthless with street criminals. Is he a shoo-in? Not yet. Sunday is the first round of the presidential elections. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent, then a second, knockout round will be held on October 28 between the two with the highest scores. Bolsonaro boasts he will win outright on Sunday and Brazilians can go to the beach instead on October 28. But analysts say that while a first-round victory can't be excluded, the polling numbers available make it unlikely. In a second round, the outcome would be uncertain. Surveys suggest Bolsonaro would be neck-and-neck with his nearest rival, leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, the Workers' Party's choice to replace popular ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail for bribery. Against the candidate currently trailing in third place, center-left politician Ciro Gomes, Bolsonaro would likely lose, recent polls show. What changes does he promise? If he does enter Planalto, Brazil's equivalent of the White House, Bolsonaro has promised big changes. He wants looser gun laws for "good" civilians to help counter rife street assaults and murders, and for the army to go after organized crime. Political corruption will be quashed and the government streamlined, he has said. Brazil would sell off state enterprises to bring down spiraling public debt. In foreign relations, Brasilia would "cease coddling murderous dictatorships," his manifesto says. That looks like a reference particularly to neighboring Venezuela, whose implosion under the rule of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing over the border into Brazil. Instead, it would turn more towards countries such as the United States, Israel and Italy. "We've got to give Socialism, Communism, a kick up the ass," he told a Brazilian TV station, Record, late Thursday. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 17:10 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087764bf98 1 National jailbreak,correctional-facility,#CentralSulawesiQuake,#DonggalaQuake,#PaluTsunami,Central-Sulawesi-earthquake,Donggala,Palu Free More than 1,000 escaped prisoners in Central Sulawesi remain free following the 7.4-magnitude earthquake that damaged several correctional facilities in the area. During an inspection of six prisons and detention centers in Palu, Parigi Moutong regency and Donggala regency, the Law and Human Rights Ministrys secretary director for correctional facilities, Liberti Sitinjak, said 1,031 out of 1,425 prisoners had not reported their whereabouts to the authorities. According to Liberti, 433 of the 465 prisoners in Palu prison escaped to save themselves when the quake occurred. Only 32 prisoners remained inside after the quake, Liberti said in a written statement received by The Jakarta Post on Friday night. Liberti added that 314 of the 433 prisoners who escaped had yet to report to the authorities. In another correctional facility in Palu, all prisoners fled to save themselves. Out of the 549 prisoners who escaped, only 130 have reported their whereabouts. However, most of them remain free. In Palu female correctional facilities, 44 out of 88 convicts are still missing. While Palu juvenile detention centers also reported that 13 out of 29 detainees remained missing. In Parigi Moutong, of the 186 prisoners, six escaped, while in Donggala prison, 235 out of 342 had yet to surrender. There will be dire consequences for convicts who do not report their whereabouts in a week after the incident, Liberti said. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dyaning Pangestika (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 19:58 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087765181a 1 World Rizal-Sukma,London,Indonesian-Embassy,UK,bilateral-relation Free Indonesia's bond with the United Kingdom is growing stronger despite any rise or fall between the countrys relationship, Indonesian ambassador to the UK, Rizal Sukma, said during a diplomatic reception on Thursday in London. Rizal, the ambassador to the UK, Ireland and the International Maritime Organization, said both Indonesia and the UK share similar characteristics when it comes to upholding each respective nations values. Both countries see the importance in fostering and developing democratic values, as well as respecting human rights values, Rizal said in a written statement received by The Jakarta Post on Friday. As Indonesia will celebrate 70 years of diplomatic relations with the United Kingdom in 2019, Rizal also thanked the UK government for its recent support for Indonesias candidacy as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council in 2019-2020. Minister of State for the Commonwealth and United Nations at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, who attended the reception as the guest of honor, expressed appreciation for the great bond between Indonesia and the UK. Lord Ahmad added that Indonesia and the UK have the same vision of battling ocean plastic pollution as well as global warming. He also sent his condolences and prayers to the victims of Central Sulawesi's earthquakes. The diplomatic reception was held at the Indonesian Embassy in London to coincide with the Indonesian Military's anniversary. The reception was attended by 300 guests, comprising ambassadors, diplomats, as well as representatives from the UK's government and the embassys partners. (evi) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 18:42 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087764ee0a 2 City Jakarta-administration,Jakarta-police,Ratna-Sarumpaet Free The Jakarta administration has said it welcomes applications from anyone or any group seeking sponsorship for attending overseas events amid the recent brouhaha surrounding the arrest of activist Ratna Sarumpaet, who was about to embark on an overseas trip at the city's expense. Jakarta Regional Head and Foreign Cooperation Bureau chief Mawardi said the city can approve funding proposals from individuals or groups. But there are several conditions, such as whether the trips represent Jakarta, bring honor to Jakarta or Indonesia as well as promote the countrys cultures. "[Proposals] are welcome, we will see what they represent, he said as reported by kompas.com on Friday. The individuals or groups must first coordinate with the agency related to their field and then send an official proposal to Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan. The governor will then discuss the proposal with related agencies, Mawardi said. The funding for overseas trips is stipulated in the 2018 gubernatorial decree on overseas trips. Ratna was arrested by the Jakarta Police onboard an aircraft in Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Thursday evening. She was about to depart for Santiago, Chile to attend the 11th Women Playwrights International Conference. Anies, through the Jakarta Tourism Agency, had approved her proposal to pay for her travel and accommodation. She received Rp 70 million (US$4,614) for her trip, which Mawardi said must be returned to the city after it was cancelled. Ratna, he added, must also write an accountability report for the administration on the funding she had received. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Dian Septiari (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6 2018 The Afghan government says it is always open for talks with the hardline Taliban group by seizing all opportunities for indirect talks, including a recent meeting in Indonesia. Unfortunately, the Taliban have not been serious so far, Afghan Chief Executive Abdullah Abdullah said in a discussion held by the Foreign Policy Community of Indonesia in Jakarta on Friday. In spite of the nature of the war, Abdullah said, the government and the absolute majority of the people of Afghanistan still wanted peace and were calling on the Taliban to give up violence, sever links with terrorist groups and join discussions about their ideas and be part of the process. 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 Agnes Anya (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6 2018 Indonesia has asked New Zealand to grant its fruit and animal feed products improved access to the New Zealand market so that bilateral trade between the two countries can reach US$2.65 billion by 2024. Foreign Minister Retno LP Marsudi made the request during the 8th Joint Ministerial Commission meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Winston Peters on Friday in Jakarta. We hope to increase our mutual trade cooperation. Indonesia has asked New Zealand to provide more access for our fruit products, like bananas, mangoes and pineapples, as well as our animal feed products, said Retno, who began her remarks by thanking Wellington for supporting and showing respect for Indonesias territorial integrity. 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 Ni Nyoman Wira (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 07:01 1136 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087763d05f 1 News GATF,Garuda-Indonesia,travel-fair,travel,Airlines,garuda-indonesia-travel-fair Free More than 40 travel agencies, including five pilgrimage agencies, are joining the second phase of the Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair (GATF) 2018. The event, held by the flag carrier in partnership with Bank Mandiri, is held at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, South Jakarta, from Friday to Sunday. Various travel packages are offered by the agencies, including for the umrah as well as for cruise and winter vacations. Garuda Indonesia promises competitive prices for international as well as domestic routes. The South Korean capital city of Seoul, for instance, can be visited with round trip fares starting at Rp 2.7 million (US$177), while a return ticket to Raja Ampat in West Papua can be bought for Rp 2.1 million. Other programs available throughout the biannual event are Happy Hour, which offers up to 80 percent discounts from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. and from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., Best Deal with up to 50 percent discounts, an additional 1,000 miles for GarudaMiles customers and 30 percent discounts on prepaid baggage. Read also: Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair returns late September Pikri Ilham Kurniansyah, Garuda Indonesia's commercial director, speaks at the opening ceremony of the second phase of the Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair (GATF) 2018 at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Senayan, South Jakarta, on Friday. (JP/Charisa Vanessa) Having joined the GATF in 2017, Bank Mandiri also presents numerous special offers, including a 50 percent discount with fiestapoin, zero percent installments for up to 12 months using their credit card and up to Rp 2 million cashback using their credit or debit cards. One of the visitors, Citra, 27, from Bekasi, West Java, praised the variety of travel agencies there. Its worth it [coming to the travel fair], especially if youre on a budget, said Citra, who plans to fly to Labuan Bajo in East Nusa Tenggara. The place is also comfortable. The GATF has been held in 30 cities since last September. It targets total transactions of Rp 448 billion, including Rp 218 billion in Jakarta. Collaborating with the Tourism Ministry, Garuda Indonesia has also conducted the Wonderful Indonesia Garuda Indonesia Travel Fair (WI-GATF) abroad to lure foreign travelers to Indonesia. Pikri Ilham Kurniansyah, the airline's commercial director, said its WI-GATF event in Shanghai, which ended in early September, had generated 8.5 million yuan ($1.3 million) in sales, and the airline was focusing on the WI-GATF this year by adding Singapore and Australia as forthcoming venues. (kes) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin Mathieu Gorse and Julien Delacourt (Agence France-Presse) Madrid, Spain Sat, October 6, 2018 15:02 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776487fe 2 News lime-app,lime-scooter,electric-scooter Free Cities across Spain are grappling with electric scooters that have popped up on sidewalks across the country, helping riders zip around but exasperating drivers and pedestrians. In Madrid public opinion is divided over the hundreds of electric scooters which California-based start-up Lime -- partly owned by ride-hailing Uber and Google parent company Alphabet -- has made available since mid-August. Unlike schemes involving shared bicycles that typically must be left in docking stations, the scooters are dockless, leaving riders responsible for parking them out of the way. The next rider can find the nearest scooter with a smartphone app, unlock it and use it for a fee. Similar electric scooter sharing programmes have been introduced in other European cities including Paris, Vienna and Zurich. In Madrid, Lime's scooters -- which have already been used over 100,000 times -- are tolerated by the left-wing city hall, intent on reducing pollution. But the scooters are often left in places where they obstruct sidewalks -- and their users often speed by pedestrians or hog roads. Last month a video of two people, including a child, wearing masks while they raced along a highway near the Mediterranean port of Valencia on an electric scooter went viral. "They don't respect anything at all. We need rules. It's crazy. They ride on lanes reserved for buses and taxis. They cross in front of cars," Fernando Sobrino, a 59-year-old taxi driver, told AFP as he waited for passengers in the centre of Madrid. Jose Manuel, a 55-year-old salesman, complained the scooters "ride on sidewalks without any control". "There is a risk of getting rear-ended by one as happened to me the other day," he said as he made his way along the Gran Via, a busy shopping street in central Madrid. - 'Dangerous and annoying' - The arrival of the scooters in Madrid follows the introduction of a public electric bike share system in June 2014. Users of the scooters are delighted. "You move around faster, you can visit more areas, it's relaxing and easy to use," said Monica Rodriguez, 58, at Madrid's bustling Retiro park. She admitted, though, that the scooters can be "dangerous and annoying for people who are walking". The introduction of this new form of transport caught big Spanish cities off guard. In Madrid, which is home to around 3.2 million people, the city hall only adopted measures on Friday. The scooters are banned on pavements and pedestrian streets, but they are authorised on all roads where the speed limit is 30 kilometres (19 miles) an hour -- a limit set to be implemented soon on 80 percent of the city's streets. Valencia is set to adopt new rules banning scooters from sidewalks. Read also: Electric scooters launch in Paris, to spread in Europe - Seizures - Barcelona, Spain's second-largest city which is overwhelmed by mass tourism, already bans the use of privately owned scooters from sidewalks. "Self service" scooter rentals like those offered by Lime are banned. When German firm Wind launched an electric scooter sharing programme in Barcelona in August, within hours police removed the vehicles from the streets. The municipality of Llobregat near Barcelona stopped Lime from setting up shop. The scenario was repeated in Valencia, which has an extensive network of bike lanes. Lime deployed a fleet of scooters in the city in August without authorisation from city hall, which demands a licence for anyone who carries out a commercial activity on public roads. Lime's scooters were removed and the firm was slapped with a fine. It is now trying to convince Valencia city hall to allow it to pay a fee in exchange for an operating licence. Lime's representative in Spain, Alvaro Salvat, said he regrets the lack of specific laws for electric scooters in Madrid and most Spanish cities. "We are the first to ask for them for our users, for residents, so we know where to go and where not to go," he told AFP. Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) - Sat, October 6, 2018 12:05 1136 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b308776424c7 1 Destinations floating-mosques,floating-mosques-in-Indonesia,Oesman-al-Khair-mosque,Amirul-Mukminin-Mosque,Arkham-Babu-Rahman-Mosque Free As the worlds largest Muslim-majority country, Indonesia is home to more than 800,000 mosques. Some parts of Indonesia have strong coastal cultures, and people living in areas surrounding the countrys principal rivers are more than familiar with making a life close to the water or even on it. This includes practicing their religion, which has inspired a number of communities across the archipelago to build their mosque above the water. Here are three of these unique places of worship, as compiled by kompas.com. Oesman Al Khair Mosque, North Kayong Officiated by President Joko Jokowi Widodo in late 2016, the mosque is named after its founder: politician and businessman Oesman Sapta Odang. According to a report by kompas.com, the name Oesman al Khair itself means Oesmans kindness and is reportedly meant to inspire people to be kind to one another. The mosque, located by the beach in North Kayong regency, West Kalimantan, was designed by an Indonesian architect whose name was never revealed. Its design took inspiration from Saudi Arabia and is further complemented by Moroccan influences. Oesman al Khair Mosque looks as if it is floating on the surface of the water, thanks to 23-meter-high poles supporting it from the bottom of the sea. Amirul Mukminin Mosque, Makassar Also known as 99 Al Makazzary Mosque, referring to the 99 names of Allah, Amirul Mukminin Mosque was built to serve as the primary landmark of Makassar, South Sulawesi. The three-story mosque is located east of Losari beach and is able to host 500 worshipers. Amirul Mukminin Mosque has two domes, each measuring 9 m in diameter. Worshipers praying and contemplating inside the mosque can also enjoy the view of the sea and cool breeze coming through its windows. Read also: Getting to know Asasi Mosque, one of Indonesia's oldest mosques Arkham Babu Rahman Mosque, Palu Built in close proximity to Taman Ria Beach in Lere village, Central Sulawesi, Arkham Babu Rahman Mosque features four towers and a dome. It is 121 square meters with the capacity up to 150 worshippers. Perched above the waters about 30 m away from the beach, the mosque is accessible from the coast via a bridge. Unfortunately, Arkham Babu Rahman was among the many buildings affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami that hit Palu on Friday. An aerial photo of Hasanuddin International Airport shows the mosque disconnected from the shore, its bridge nowhere in sight. (mut) Share this article Whatsapp Facebook Twitter Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta Sat, October 6, 2018 19:06 1135 882ab4bc56dbda08a069b3087764f22d 1 News UI,Times-Higher-Education,World-University-Ranking Free Times Higher Education (THE), the magazine behind the worlds most influential university rankings, has released their World University Rankings (WUR) 2019. Kompas.com reported that the University of Indonesia (UI) was the only Indonesian university to enter the rankings. UI is now ranked in the range of 601-800 in the world, an improvement on its 2018 ranking, when it was in the 801-1000 bracket. The ranking includes 1258 universities in 86 countries. This is the third year an Indonesian university has been entered into the ranking, in which each university is scored on their core missions, namely teaching, research, knowledge transfer and international outlook. In order to provide the most comprehensive, balanced and trustworthy comparisons for the universities, THE uses carefully calibrated performance indicators that are grouped into five areas. The first area is teaching, which includes learning environment. Next is research, comprising its volume, income and reputation. The third area is citations, which takes into account research influence. Fourth is international outlook, which covers staff, students and research. And finally, the fifth area is industry income, in which knowledge transfer is evaluated. UI rector Muhammad Anis was quoted by the universitys website as saying, UIs performance has been improving, according to THE scoring. We are now focusing on upgrading the capacity and quality of research, innovation and public service. Meanwhile, we are also expanding our network with campuses in Asia, Europe and other continents. Read also: UI medical, law programs most favored among applicants Anis went on to say that while competing to become a better university, UI also needs to look up to a role model in the same region. He mentions the National University of Singapore, for instance, which made it into the worlds top 25. Hopefully what our neighboring country has achieved shall inspire us to join the rank of Southeast Asias top university, said Anis. The achievement made by UI should also be considered the nations accomplishment in higher education. UI is well on its way to becoming a university that contributes more to improving the nations growth and competence in the global competition. Moreover, UI expects to further promote innovation, entrepreneurship and overcome social challenges. (mut) Unfortunately, The Content Is Not Here You have arrived at this page because the page or post you were looking for no longer exists. Please check our main navigation pages for other content: Home Page Montreal, CA (H4T1V6) Today Cloudy. Some light rain is likely. Temps nearly steady in the upper 30s. Winds W at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 80%.. Tonight Showers in the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. A few flurries or snow showers possible. Low -1C. Winds WNW at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 50%. remaining of 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. Our View: Ben Franklin was right: It's good to give You have permission to edit this article. Edit Close The excavation has brought to light Thessalonikis central 6th-century highway, a marble plaza, a fountain as well as a headless statue of Aphrodite The metro construction in Greeces city of Thessaloniki has brought ancient ruins from the citys life back in the 4th century BC to the surface. The excavation has brought to light Thessalonikis central 6th-century highway, a marble plaza, a fountain as well as a headless statue of Aphrodite. Thousands of ancient discoveries such as coins, mosaics and statues have also been uncovered. Thessaloniki is unique in that from its foundation in the 4th century BC until today there is city under a city, Tania Protopsalti, an archaeologist told Greek Reporter. The city of Thessaloniki was founded in 315 BC by Cassander of Macedon. A significant metropolis by the Roman period, Thessaloniki was the second largest and wealthiest city of the Byzantine Empire. It was conquered by the Ottomans in 1430, and passed from the Ottoman Empire to Greece on Nov. 8, 1912. Most of the findings relate to the Byzantine era. Nevertheless, Protopsalti says that, as excavations continue, new findings from the Roman era come to the surface. Eventually we hope to reach the remnants of the city when it was founded in the Cassander-era, the Greek archaeologist noted. She added that some wall paintings and small sections of floor mosaics from the 4th century BC have already been unearthed. The excavations, filling in gaps in the citys long history for archaeologists, have focused on the site of Hagia Sophia where a central metro station is being constructed. It was there where a central 6th-century highway and marble plaza, two of the most exciting finds, were found. The discovery of the marble plaza located south of the central highway gave us an invaluable insight into the urban planning in the 6th century, archaeologist Stavroula Tzevreni told Greek Reporter. The marbles have been carefully removed to be reinstated when the metro works are concluded at Hagia Sophia. Impressive buildings adorned by mosaics The square was surrounded by impressive buildings adorned by mosaics that remain in good condition. They were found in the south entrance of the station Hagia Sophia and are believed to be part of an almost 315 square meter urban villa dated to the first half of the 4th century AD to the 5th century AD. Decoration of the mosaic floors consists of geometric patterns, while one includes a central medallion, probably depicting Aphrodite. The mosaics will be extracted, cleaned and exhibited at the same station they were excavated in. At the southeast end of the square archaeologists discovered a 15-metre (nearly 50-foot) fountain structure believed to be one of the largest in the Roman world. Alongside the stone-paved highway, the Decumanus Maximus, the remains of mud-bricked workshops were uncovered where jewellers plied their trade as they still do today, in blocks of flats over the subway dig. Scheduled to be operational by late 2020, the 1.5-billion ($1.7 billion) Thessaloniki metro will at first have 13 stations and run a distance of 9.6 kilometres (six miles). A future expansion is programmed to include the city airport. Read more at greekreporter.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Konstantinos Stampoulis License: CC-BY-SA One-day meeting on Thursday on the Greece-Russia Year of Tourism (2017-2018) The Greek Parliament held a one-day meeting on Thursday on the Greece-Russia Year of Tourism (2017-2018) that included parliamentary and church representatives of Greece and Russia, ANA reports. The conference took place in the context of the Greece-Russia Year of Tourism (2017-2018) and was also attended by representatives of the two countries' Tourism Ministries. Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Markos Bolaris welcomed collaborations between churches and tourism organizations of the two countries that promote understanding, and spoke of the efforts of the Church of Greece to promote religious tourism, especially to sites of pilgrimage. RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: A.Savin License: CC-BY-SA Herbal teas have been used for thousands of years for holistic and healing aims, refreshing beverages, and energizing elixirs PRNewswire reports from Astoria that the Loose Leaf Herbal Tea Experience Store recently opened in the Ditmars area of Astoria, Queens. The cafe offers select herbs and herbal teas imported from mountainous regions of Greece that have been untouched by industry for thousands of years. These herbs, of the highest purity, helped heal founder Peter Zotis autoimmune disease and inspired this new business, according to the companys press release. Herbal teas have been used for thousands of years for holistic and healing aims, refreshing beverages, and energizing elixirs. Hippocrates, considered by many to be the father of modern medicine, exhorted the many benefits of herbs and herbal remedies. Hippocrates said, Foolish the doctor who despises knowledge acquired by the ancients. Loose Leaf is committed to making these ancient herbal remedies available and practical in our busy modern lives. The Experience Store is located at 28-10 23rd Ave. Astoria, NY 11105 and is open 7 days a week. The Store is outfitted with modern brewing technology, smell jars, samples and a variety of accessories, and healthy snacks. The herbs can also be bought online at ShopLooseLeaf.com and shipped worldwide. Read more at thenationalherald.com RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Thamizhpparithi Maari License: CC-BY-SA Al Ezzel Power Company, a key electricity supplier in Bahrain, today (October 6) celebrated the closing of a $243-million new financing facility. This is a landmark achievement in the Bahrain infrastructure financing market, as the entire financing was extended by local and regional banks, said a statement from the company. The new financing was provided by Arab Banking Corporation, National Bank of Kuwait, Mashreq Bank, National Bank of Bahrain and Ahli United Bank. All of these banks are present in Bahrain and have in-depth knowledge of the market. The new financing replaces the original one provided in 2004 by a consortium of nine international banks and only two regional banks. Al Ezzel power project was awarded in July 2004 by the Bahrain Ministry of Finance and National Economy, following an international competitive tendering process that attracted five bids and resulted in a record low tariff. The 950MW Project was contracted on a Build, Own, Operate basis, utilising gas-fired Combined Cycle Gas Turbine technology supplied and constructed by Siemens. The company started commercial operations in June 2007 and the inauguration was held under the auspices of Crown Prince Salman Bin Hamad Al Khalifa. Al Ezzel instantly proved itself as a key reliable electricity supplier to Bahrain and today accounts for about one quarter of Bahrain electricity needs. The project was initially developed by Engie and Gulf Investment Corporation. The Social Insurance Organization of Bahrain joined soon thereafter. These three parties remain today as the shareholders of the company. The celebration was held with participation of representatives from the shareholders, financing banks and Bahrain and company officials. On the deal, Chairman Shafic Ali, said: The success of this refinancing is a testimony to the confidence of the local and regional banks in the long-term credit worthiness of infrastructure projects in Bahrain. The new financing prepaid the balance of the loans provided in 2004 and extends the final maturity date to 2026." Cedric Girod, the regional Head of Acquisitions, Investments and Financial Advisory at Engie, said: We are pleased by the response and strong support on this transaction of the Bahraini and regional banks which demonstrates the strength of this asset." "We received a significantly higher liquidity appetite than expected allowing us to implement an optimum refinancing structure within a short timeframe, stated Girod. Al Ezzel has performed at a high level of operational availability and efficiency and produced consistently solid financial results, he added. Saber Ayadi, the group head of specialized finance at Bank ABC, commenting on behalf of the lending group, said: We are very proud of the successful completion of this transaction and delighted with the collaboration with Al Ezzels executive team as well as its shareholders." "The lending group is pleased with its continuous contribution and strong added value to finance the power sector in the Kingdom of Bahrain," he added.-TradeArabia News Service The Bahrain and Kuwait governments have signed an agreement in the field of cloud computing. The MOU facilitates government processes, increases efficiency and contributes in speeding the implementation of projects while maintaining security and confidentiality of information and data. The agreement was signed by Mohamed Ali AlQaed, the chief executive of the Information & eGovernment Authority (iGA) and Engineer Salim Muthib AlOzainah, the chief executive and chairman of the Communication & Information Technology Regulatory Authority (Citra) following the approval from cabinet and in line with relationships between both countries. AlOzainah said the agreement with Bahrain demonstrates the strong ties between both neighboring countries as well as stressing that such initiative comes in line with achieving Kuwaits Vision 2035 that aims at supporting eTransformation. Kuwait has recently inked a number of MoUs in the field of IT so as to keep pace with the advanced technology and meet the future needs of Kuwait. Lauding the Kuwaiti efforts, AlQaed said it was one of the GCC countries which led in benefiting from Bahrains experiences within the cloud computing field. He also highlighted the positive impact of this initiative to develop, enhance and sustain the quality of services provided to users; in addition to providing appropriate environment to attract more foreign investments to the region. Al Qaid pointed out that the kingdom is always pleased to exchange experiences with all countries which support government direction in developing government services and accelerating eTransformation in all sectors. In 2017, Bahrain has adopted the Cloud First Policy in the public sector becoming the first Arab country to adopt such policy and one of the first worldwide.-TradeArabia News Service US President Donald Trump said that he does not have any plans to meet with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani, but does not rule out such a possibility in the future. Previously, Rouhani said that in order to negotiate with Tehran, Trump must return to the nuclear deal, from which the US pulled out in May. Despite requests, I have no plans to meet Iranian President Hassan Rouhani. Maybe someday in the future. I am sure he is an absolutely lovely man! Trump tweeted on 25 September. President Rouhani said that the Iranian authorities will block the Strait of Hormuz, which connects the Gulf of Oman in the southeast with the Persian Gulf in the southwest, should the US continue the policy of pressure. In an interview with NBC, Rouhani stressed that his words are not a warning, but a reality. President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov signed a decree at a government meeting establishing a Financial Monitoring Service under the Ministry of Finance and Economy of Turkmenistan. According to the decree, the Service is to ensure the efficient implementation of tasks arising from the Law of Turkmenistan On Countering the Legalization of Illegal Earnings and Financing of Terrorism" and international treaties that the country acceded to. The decree also approves the structure and the Regulations of the Service. TURKMENISTAN.RU, 2021 Hindus in Bangladesh decrease by 7 5 million over 50 years: Census 15 Nov 2021 | 11:31 AM By Mir Afroz Zaman Dhaka, Nov 15 (UNI) The Hindu population in Bangladesh is on a steady wane. Over the past 50 years, the total population of the country has more than doubled, but not in the case of Hindus. The number of Hindu persons in the country had dropped by around 7.5 million (75 lakh). see more.. US Navy's Mount Whitney ship on way from Black Sea to Mediterranean Sea: Navy 15 Nov 2021 | 11:27 AM Washington, Nov 15 (UNI/Sputnik) The US Navy Sixth Fleets flagship Mount Whitney has begun transit from the Black Sea to the Mediterranean Sea after ending operations and drills with NATO allies, the fleet said on Monday. see more.. Death toll from Travis Scott's concert rises to 10 as nine-year-old dies at hospital 15 Nov 2021 | 11:24 AM Washington, Nov 15 (UNI/Sputnik) The death toll from Travis Scott's tragic Astroworld music festival in Texas has gone up to ten: a 9-year-old boy who had been on life support has passed away, a family attorney said. see more.. class="ng-binding">Stoltenberg says no consensus on having Ukraine become full NATO member 15 Nov 2021 | 10:53 AM Brussels, Nov 15 (UNI/Sputnik) North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) members have no consensus on inviting Ukraine to become a full member, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg says. see more.. EU signs deal with Albania on European Border, Coast Guard cooperation Tirana, Oct 6 (UNI) The European Union signed an agreement with Albania on cooperation on border management between Albania and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency. The agreement was signed on Friday behalf of the EU by Herbert Kickl, Minister of the Interior of Austria and President of the Council, Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship and on behalf of Albania Interior Minister Fatmir Xhafaj. Dimitris Avramopoulos, Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs and Citizenship said in a statement issued by the European Commission "The migratory and security challenges do not stop at our external borders. Nor should we. A Europe that protects is a Europe that works together with partner countries in its neighbourhood and beyond. Historian, noted writer Babasaheb Purandare passes away at 99 15 Nov 2021 | 11:11 AM Aurangabad, Nov 15 (UNI) Indian writer, historian and theatre personality from Maharashtra, Babasaheb Purandare passed away at the age of 99, Union minister of state for finance Dr Bhagwat Karad stated on Monday. see more.. Arunachal detects 4 more COVID-19 cases 15 Nov 2021 | 10:20 AM Itanagar, Nov 15 (UNI) Four more people have tested positive for COVID-19 in Arunachal Pradesh during the past 24 hours, pushing its tally of confirmed cases to 55,220, a senior health official said. see more.. HP: Magnitude 2 9 earthquake jolts Mandi 15 Nov 2021 | 8:23 AM Shimla, Nov 15 (UNI) A 2.9 magnitude earthquake was experienced in the Mandi district of Himachal Pradesh early today, the Indian Meteorological Department said. see more.. COVID: Three deaths, 56 new cases, 60 cured in HP 15 Nov 2021 | 8:18 AM Hamirpur (HP), Nov 15 (UNI) Three aged people, one each from the districts of Hamirpur, Kangra, and Shimla succumbed to coronavirus and 56 new cases were found positive besides sixty older cases were cured in Himachal Pradesh on Sunday, according to a spokesman of the HP Health Department. see more.. UNESCO Director-General condemns killing of two journalists in Afghanistan Paris, France, Oct 6 (UNI) The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, has condemned the deaths of two Afghan journalists, who were among at least 20 people reportedly killed in two successive suicide bombings in the Afghan capital, Kabul, on 5 September. I condemn these two bombings, which killed Tolo TV reporter Samim Faramarz and his cameraman Ramaz Ahmadi. This is strong reminder of the deadly risks Afghan journalists face daily, and an illustration of their great courage in continuing to do their jobs in such difficult and dangerous circumstances. I send my condolences to the families of all victims and to the people of Afghanistan and call on the authorities to investigate and bring to justice the perpetrators of this crime, Mr Azoulay said in a statement on Saturday. At least 70 more people were wounded in the two blasts, including journalists working for Khorshid TV, TV1 and the Associated Press news agency. Timeline of ISIS in Iraq The Arabic letter "n" (inside red circle), signifying "Nasrani" (Christian), on an Assyrian home in Mosul. (AINA) -- The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured the city of Mosul, Iraq on June 10. Almost immediately thereafter it began to drive Assyrians out of Mosul and destroy Christian and non-Sunni institutions. There are no Assyrians/Christians remaining in Mosul, all have fled to the north, to Alqosh, Dohuk and other Assyrian villages. All Christian institutions in Mosul (churches, monasteries and cemeteries), numbering 45, have been destroyed, occupied, converted to mosques, converted to ISIS headquarters or shuttered (story). All non-Sunni Muslim groups in Mosul -- Shabaks, Yazidis and Turkmen -- have been targeted by ISIS. Most have fled. Water and electricity to the Nineveh Plain have been cut off by ISIS. Mosul is now governed under Sharia law. 200,000 Assyrian have fled from Baghdede (Qaraqosh), Bartella, Karamles and dozens of Assyrian villages and towns in the Nineveh Plain north of Mosul. 150,000 Yazidis have fled from Sinjar and Zumar. 40,000 trapped on Shingal mountain. Thousands have died from exposure. Thousands have been killed by ISIS. See also: Incipient Genocide: The Ethnic Cleansing of the Assyrians of Iraq See also: Church Bombings in Iraq Since 2004 See also: Attacks on Assyrians in Dora, Baghdad The following is a summary of the events that have unfolded in North Iraq. *** . 11.00 . . *** . 9.00 . . *** . 9.30 . 21- ... Unbox kicks of their snazzy travelling Glow Show with tonights (Saturday 10.6 Japan time) event at Milkboy Gallery in Harajuku, Tokyo. As you might guess by the name, the show celebrates toys that come to life in the dark both glow-in-the-dark and black light reactive figures. Unbox has revealed a pirates haul of special Glow Show editions from Christopher Ulrich, John Kenn Mortensen, Kenny Wong, Milkboy, Retroband, Taku Obata, Tetsunori Tawaraya, Too Natthapong, Ziqi and more. Toys will be sold on a first-come, first-serve basis rather than lottery-based. Customers are limited to three toys and no more than one of any particular toy per trip through the line. After tonights Japan stop, the Unbox Glow Show packs up and heads to final two stops: October 27 at Freight Gallery in San Antonio Texas and October 27th at the Bangkok Art & Culture Centre in Bangkok. Hit the jump for a preview gallery. Many of these figures will be available at the remaining stops, while some are specific to tonights event. Unbox Glow Show Japan Opening: Saturday, October 6th (6 to 9 PM) Harajuku Milkboy B1F Gallery Jingumae 6-29-3 B1F Shibuya-Ku Tokyo Street Art Murals Gibraltar Cultural Services and the Ministry of Culture, the Media, Youth & Sport has announced the creation of street art murals at Castle Steps. The Castle Street murals are the brainchild of Ronnie Alecio together with street artist Jupp and they aim to celebrate the work of one of Gibraltars most renowned artists, Gustavo Bacarisas. The murals take inspiration from the paintings created by Bacarisas who was a resident of Castle Street. The proposal is supported by the Street Art Committee which includes representatives from the Heritage Trust and several Government Departments including Town Planning. After this project, HM Government of Gibraltar will continue to work with Ronnie Alecio and his team to extend this concept further in other areas of Gibraltar next year. This will support the street art initiative, started by the Government in line with its urban regeneration and cultural development programmes. Photo: Matt Cardy/Getty Images This isnt Banksys first time at the rodeo and even if it was, well, that rodeo would be covered in priceless graffiti. He knows when he needs to kick things up a notch, though. Like on Friday night, when Sothebys auctioned off the anonymous street artists famous 2006 work Girl with a Balloon for the equivalent of over $1.2 million. After the auction closed, an alarm reportedly sounded from the piece and the canvas slowly started to slide down into a shredder mounted in the paintings frame, ripping it into little strips, a truly wonderful Banksy moment you can see for yourself in the photos below. It appears we just got Banksy-ed, Alex Branczik, Sothebys European director of contemporary art told the Art Newspaper. He is arguably the greatest British street artist, and tonight we saw a little piece of Banksy genius. Branczik also said he was not in on the ruse, which really takes it to that next level. According to the Financial Times, the vendor selling the piece acquired Girl with a Balloon directly from the artist himself. Said Sothebys in a statement, We have talked with the successful purchaser who was surprise by the story. We are in discussion about next steps. Several outlets have postulated that the stunt required Banksy (or an agent there of) to be in the room to remotely activate the shredder. Reports the Art Newspaper, a man dressed in black sporting sunglasses and a hat was seen scuffling with security guards near the entrance to Sothebys shortly after the incident. Daniel Craig. Photo: Columbia Pictures While one certain, timey-wimey British franchise has recently embraced the X chromosome as its lead for the first time in its history, dont expect the James Bond universe to follow suit. Ever. In a new interview with The Guardian, longtime Bond gatekeeper (a.k.a. executive producer) Barbara Broccoli is asserting that the martini-loving chap will always be played be a man, as she doesnt consider the character to be a feminist property. Bond is male. Hes a male character, she explained. He was written as a male and I think hell probably stay as a male. Lets just create more female characters and make the story fit those female characters It was written in the 50s, so theres certain things in [Bonds] DNA that are probably not gonna change. The way she looks at it, the world has changed, and thats reflected in the franchise in other ways such as the increasingly empowering nature of the Bond girls. I think Bond has come through and transformed with the times, Broccoli continued. Ive tried to do my part, and I think particularly with the Daniel [Craig] films, theyve become much more current in terms of the way women are viewed. The next Bond outing, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, will likely be Craigs last hoorah. Which dude should replace him? Kacey Musgraves. Photo: Brad Barket/Getty Images for The New Yorker Shout it from your cattle ranch in the Cheyenne suburbs or your balcony overlooking the Hudson: Kacey Musgraves is a gay icon, yall! And the world needs to know! (The world also needs to know about Golden Hour, the best country album of the year. Dont fight us on that.) Such a topic was brought up at Musgraves New Yorker Festival event on Friday evening, when an audience member asked the songstress how it felt to be an icon within the LGBTQ community a rare crowning for a country music artist to achieve. While Musgraves said she was honored to be receive such high praise, it spurred a few musings about a more significant topic: the genres horrible track record when it comes to inclusivity. What I think it is someone told me this recently and it broke my heart they said, Ive grown up loving country music and I grew up gay in a small town, and country music has always felt like a big party that I wasnt invited to. Oh my god, youre invited to my party, she explained. Its crazy that a certain kind of a person could feel excluded from a genre thats so real or supposed to be so real. That has always really pissed me off. Because I love the genre so much, I felt, Well fine, maybe Ill just have an all-gay audience. Musgraves said the catalyst for being an ally stemmed from a good friend coming out to her when they were younger, which he only did when they moved away from their repressive small towns. I was the first person he told, she recalled. I had an idea, it was an unspoken thing, but it was so painful and hard for him to tell me, even though I was totally fine with it. Thinking about him and all of those other kids who are like, I love country music, why cant I be a part of this? Why isnt my narrative included? I dont know. What she does know, though, is shell never stop supporting the LGBTQ community. Yee-haw to that. Sophie Turner and Maisie Williams. Photo: Amy E. Price/2017 Amy E. Price Weve been hard-pressed for many (or any) details on the final season of Game of Thrones, which wrapped filming this summer and will premiere in 2019. As much as fans are obsessed with GoT, we at Vulture are just as taken by the loving, adorable friendship of Sophie Turner (Sansa) and Maisie Williams (Arya), a.k.a., the Stark sisters. At New York Comic Con 2018 on Saturday, Turner, who will soon shift gears and hair color for Dark Phoenix, reflected on her time on GoT with her tattoo sister, their sleepovers after shooting, and, ahem, taking baths while high. Were kind of like loners on Game of Thrones, just because the past few seasons Maisie and I have sleepovers every night when were shooting. Or every night whenever both of us are in town. We just used to sit there and eat and watch stupid videos and smoke weed, said Turner. I dont know if my publicist will kill me for saying this. Wed get high and then wed sit in the bath together and wed rub makeup brushes on our faces. Its fun. Turner said the two actually met while auditioning for their star-making roles. We did a chemistry read together, said Turner. It was the final three for Sansa, and I was like, Fuck, I really need to up my game. I went in, and was I like, Whats up?! I gave her a big hug. I was like high-five after every take. I was super extra, but it worked. I read with other Aryas before, but Maisie was special. We just got on like that. Later on, Turner shared a few details on the upcoming season and how many precautions are taken to keep its secrets. The secrecy is crazy, said Turner. We have a whole different name for it when were shooting it. I think this season it was like the Tree of Life or something. The actors names are changed on the script and the call sheets. Turner said they also have a drone killer that shoots down any that fly over the set. I dont know how it does it. It creates like this field around and the drones just drop, she said. Also, we shoot fake scenes. We got into costume in Croatia because we know the paparazzi lurk around there, so we would spend like half a day doing nothing. As far as Sansas journey for season eight, Turner said, I know I say this every season, but Sansa really comes into her own this season. The past few seasons for her and the whole series for her, shes kind of been somewhat lost as a matter of where she wants to be, who she wants to be, who she wants to surround herself with, and this season she is very very self-assured. She knows what she wants. She knows what she stands for. She knows who she wants to be around, and she faces threats to that this season. But, well, well see how that goes. (ABC News) Protestors began screaming in outbursts during the Senate's vote that confirmed Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court justice. They screamed "shame! Shame! Shame!" and caused brief upsets in the roll call vote. Vice President Mike Pence, who serves as the president of the Senate, had to repeatedly call for the Sargent at Arms to restore order in the gallery. In the end, the vote came down as anticipated, with 50 votes in favor, 48 votes against, and 1 present, effectively confirming Kavanaugh as the next highest court in the land. Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, noted that she would like her vote to be marked as "present," in a logistical maneuver aimed to address the fact that another Republican, Sen. Steve Daines, was unable to attend the vote because he is scheduled to walk his daughter down the aisle at her wedding. Daines wanted to vote in favor of Kavanaugh, and Murkowski paired her vote with his because they would have cancelled one another out since she would be voting against. The vote came after weeks of high-stakes political and human drama, as Kavanaugh defended himself against accusations of sexual misconduct. The victory marked an instance of President Donald Trump following through on a key campaign promise to turn the court more conservative for generations. Trump spoke briefly from the White House lawn before the Senate vote session started, saying that "in the end maybe the process, it was really unattractive, but the extra week was something that I think was really good. I thought it was really good. I think a lot of very positive things happened in the last week. It didn't look that way but in the end that's what happened." As for Kavanaugh, Trump said "he's going in looking really good." Kavanaugh's confirmation essentially became a done deal on Friday afternoon when Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins, a key undecided vote, announced on the Senate floor that, despite allegations of sexual assault and misconduct against him, "I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh." Just hours earlier, with Kavanaugh's fate still uncertain, the full Senate had voted 51-49 to end debate and advance the nomination, after an additional FBI investigation seemed to turn nothing to corroborate the allegations. "This is not a criminal trial, and I do not believe that claims such as these need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt," Collins said in a lengthy speech defending her decision. The Maine moderate Republican faced heavy political pressure, including from women who came from her home state and demanded that she side with Kavanaugh's chief accuser, California professor Christine Blasey Ford, who claimed that a drunken Kavanaugh had attacked her at a party decades ago when they were both in high school in suburban Maryland. "Nevertheless," Collins continued, "fairness would dictate that the claims at least should meet a threshold of more likely than not as our standard. The facts presented do not mean that professor Ford was not sexually assaulted that night or at some other time, but they do lead me to conclude that the allegations fail to meet the more likely than not standard." "Therefore," she said, "I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court." Collins was quickly followed by West Virginia Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin, another key undecided vote, who issued a statement saying he, too, would vote "yes" on Kavanaugh, apparently giving Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell the support he needs to get Kavanaugh confirmed, even if by one of the narrowest margins in history for a high court nominee. Manchin, a red state Democrat in a close re-election fight, said that while he had "reservations' given the accusations, he did what was "best for West Virginia," persuaded Kavanaugh will "follow the Constitution." Protesters shouted "shame" at him as he tried to board an elevator near his office. Outgoing Arizona Republican Sen. Jeff Flake, also a key vote, voted "yes" to move forward, but Collins' fellow Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, split from her party to vote "no." Explaining why to reporters, Murkowski said, "I believe were dealing with issues right now that are bigger than the nominee and how we ensure fairness and how our legislative and judicial branch can continue to be respected. This is what I have been wrestling with, and so I made the took the very difficult vote that I did." "I believe Brett Kavanaughs a good man. It just may be that in my view hes not the right man for the court at this time, " she said." Although protests on Capitol Hill and in front of the Supreme Court were expected to continue ahead of Saturday's vote, Democrats seemed to concede defeat, and after the long, bitter fight, reaction on both sides was relatively muted. Democratic Sen. Amy Klobuchar, whom Kavanaugh famously tangled with when she asked whether he had ever blacked out from heavy drinking, spoke out to Ford from the Senate floor. "This may not end up the way you want and may not feel worth it. There's one reason it was worth it: The American people learned something." She said Ford had caused a "seismic change" in the country's thinking about sexual assault, ending by quoting the title of a song by Bob Dylan, a fellow Minnesotan. The president, who had been roundly criticized for mocking Ford just days before, kept his immediate comments to a minimum, tweeting he was "very proud of the U.S. Senate." White House press secretary Sarah Sanders tweeted, "Thank you @SenatorCollins for standing by your convictions and doing the right thing to confirm Judge Kavanaugh." White House deputy press secretary Raj Shah on Saturday morning defended Trump's apparent mocking of Ford, saying the president was pointing to "facts." "You can disagree with his tone, but can you disagree with the substance?" Shah told "Good Morning America." "And I think that the key here is that what he was pointing to are facts," he continued, referring to Trump. "He was stating facts." Ford's attorneys said their client has no regrets. "I think she feels good about the fact that she came forward and did what she felt strongly was her civic duty to do -- which is to provide the information she had to the Judiciary Committee so that they could make a better decision a more informed decision," her attorney Lisa Banks told ABC News' Congressional Correspondent Mary Bruce. Will she ever be able to live a normal life again? Bruce asked. "She's going to go back to teaching. She loves being a teacher. She's very good at it," attorney Debra Katz said. "And she's looking forward to getting back to her family and her friends and her job. And we continue this fight, we continue to look for corroborating evidence against Judge Kavanaugh." A family filed a lawsuit against Decatur Utilities and the City of Decatur after their family member was killed by a water main cover. The accident happened in April on Wilson Street. That's where Karen Jenkins was driving when a car in front of her drove over the cover. Police say the cover flew into the air, slammed through the windshield and hit her while driving. She died several days later from her injuries. The 18-page lawsuit goes into detail about what happened that day, but it also claims that this isn't the first time a water main cover hit a driver. The lawsuit describes a similar incident on April 7, 2015, three years before Jenkins's accident. The suit said a cover came out of the road on Wilson Street, hitting a truck and a trailer. No one was hurt. Later that day, another truck drove over the same cover and flew through the air again. This time it was replaced. A lawyer for the family said they learned about these two incidents after filing a Freedom of Information request. The family is suing Decatur Utilities and the city for wrongful death, saying they "had notice and knowledge of prior incidents involving the distribution system's water valve boxes and covers located in the roadway." WAAY 31 went to Decatur Utilities to ask if the water main cover has been replaced and if there are other ones that could come out. A spokesperson said they could not comment on pending litigation. We also tried reaching the Jenkins family but were not able to get ahold of them. The family lawyer told me the family hopes the lawsuit will bring "recognition of the risk of unsecured valve covers and the need for proper inspection and maintenance protocols." The lawyer also said they are concerned there are more unsecured covers throughout Decatur that could hurt someone else. Huntsville City Schools Director of Finance has submitted his resignation. It comes less than two months after the Deputy Superintendent of Finance told the school board that the district is short millions of dollars. According to documents obtained by WAAY 31, Willie Davis's resignation goes into effect on October 15th. It's unclear if his resignation has to do with the district's financial status. Huntsville City Schools told WAAY 31 it has no intention of filling Davis's position. Elisa Ferrell, the School Board President, said Davis was in charge of bank reconciliations, making sure bills were paid and depositing money in a timely manner. Ferrell said she couldn't say if Davis made any errors that were a part of the district's financial problems, because his resignation is a personnel matter. Bob Hagood, Deputy Superintendent of Finance for Huntsville City schools, is Davis's boss. Hagood is the one who informed the school board in August about the financial problems. This was after an error was made by Hagood's department. The district's 2019 budget has millions in spending cuts but doesn't have cuts that will impact jobs. Superintendent Christie Finley told WAAY 31 the budget can be adjusted throughout the year. WAAY 31 is working to learn more about the Director of Finance's resignation. Check back here for more updates. (CNN) -- A 74-year-old man has been charged with murder in this week's ambush of law enforcement officers in Florence, South Carolina, officials said Friday. Frederick Hopkins also faces six counts of attempted murder in the shooting, said Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott, whose office is conducting the investigation. Three Florence County sheriff's deputies went to Hopkins' house Wednesday to interview his adopted son, 28-year-old Seth Hopkins, as part of an investigation into criminal sexual assault, Lott said. The deputies also had a search warrant. "They got out of their car," Lott said, "and they were shot without warning." Sgt. Terrence Carraway, a 30-year veteran of the Florence Police Department, was among those responding to the scene to provide backup. He was killed, and six other law enforcement officials were injured during the two-hour standoff. Frederick Hopkins, who was formally charged at noon Friday, is in custody at a medical facility, Lott said. Officials anticipate he'll be released later Friday and transferred to the Alvin S. Glenn Detention center in Richland County. Seth Hopkins has also been arrested and charged with criminal sexual conduct in the second degree, Lott said. He did not elaborate on that charge. Seth Hopkins will also be transferred to the Richland County facility. Lott earlier had said Seth Hopkins was 27, but his office later corrected the age in a statement. "This a very large, complex puzzle that we're filling the pieces in, piece by piece -- what, why and who," Lott told reporters in a press conference Friday afternoon. The investigation is ongoing, he said. The FBI is helping to process the crime scene. It's unclear whether either suspect are represented by attorneys. A source with knowledge of the investigation told CNN before the press conference that a foster child who lived in the home was the victim of the alleged sexual assault, but authorities did not address that point at the Friday briefing. 'This was an ambush' It's unclear whether authorities have determined why officers were fired on when they arrived at the house. Seth Hopkins had been made aware the deputies were coming to question him, Lott said. "These officers did absolutely nothing wrong," he said. "I don't want anybody to think their procedures were incorrect, that anything they did was improper. They did not. This was an ambush that you just can't prevent." Frederick Hopkins was disbarred as an attorney in 1984, four years after he got his law license, according to records. He was ordered to pay $18,000 to a court in Lexington County, an amount said to be equal to the sum of "wrongfully collected attorney fees." He was charged in 2014 with disorderly conduct, court records show. It is his only known prior arrest. Hopkins and his wife have nine adopted children, a woman who said she was a longtime friend of the Hopkins family told The State newspaper. Officials did not provide details about how many children were in the house at the time of the shooting, but Florence County Solicitor EL Clements III told reporters there was a hearing in family court Friday regarding emergency protective custody for the youths. Officers still recovering Four law enforcement officials hurt in the shooting remain hospitalized Friday. Two sheriff's deputies are in critical condition, Chief Deputy Glenn Kirby said, and the third is in stable condition. One police officer also is still in the hospital, Florence police Lt. Mike Brandt said. Two other wounded officers were released Wednesday night. Scores of gunshots can be heard in footage recorded by a witness near the shooting. The officers ultimately had to be rescued, with an armored vehicle used as a shield. Carraway, whom the Florence mayor described as a "great cop" and a "great person," died on his way to the hospital, city spokesman John Wukela said. Slain officer was a 'gentle giant' City officials lauded Carraway as a man with a steady temperament and a deep commitment to his community. Florence police Chief Allen Heidler fought back tears Thursday as he recalled Carraway as a good friend and "the bravest police officer" he's ever known. Carraway had started a mentoring program for disadvantaged youths called Camp FEVER, Heidler said. "He had a passion for kids ... to see kids in impoverished areas have the opportunity to do the things they might not have the opportunity" to do, Heidler said. "He was a giant of a man, but he was the proverbial gentle giant, and I loved him." An autopsy was to be performed at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston, WBTW reported. Carraway's pastor, the Rev. Cecil Bromell of First Baptist Church of Florence, said there would be a public viewing from 9 to 11 a.m. Monday at the Florence Center, and a memorial service at noon. UPDATE: The victim is still in critical condition at Huntsville Hospital. His name is 40-year-old Willie Lashawn Malone. The suspect was taken in for questioning. Charges are pending, so his name has not been released yet. Investigators are asking that anyone with information about the incident call 256-386-5630. --- A shooting happened around 8 Friday night at a home on Blake Street in Sheffield. According to Sheffield Police, one person was airlifted to Huntsville Hospital. There is a possible suspect in custody but no word yet on the condition of the person who was shot. Neighbors told WAAY 31 that police have previously responded to several issues at the home. The person who owns the building said he rents it out to a man who has had eight eviction notices but refuses to leave the building. The owner said he is working through the court, so they can legally force the tenant to go. Neighbors said they believe he's the man in custody. WAAY 31 is still working to find out if and how the shooting victim is connected to the suspect. UPDATE (3:04 p.m.) - The Senate confirms Brett Kavanaugh as a Supreme Court justice with a 50-48 vote. WASHINGTON (AP) Democrats and demonstrators vented rage and resistance but the Senate rolled toward approving Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court nomination Saturday as President Donald Trump and Republicans approached an election-season triumph in the most electrifying confirmation battle in years. Capping a venomous struggle that transfixed Americans when it veered into claims that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted women in the 1980s and his fierce denials, the 53-year-old conservatives nomination was on track for afternoon approval. He seemed certain to win by a slender two votes in a near party-line roll call. Trump weighed in Saturday morning on behalf of the man he nominated in July and who as justice would tilt the court rightward, possibly for decades. Big day for America! he tweeted. Democrats paraded to a nearly empty Senate chamber overnight to lambast the nominee. They said hed push the court farther right, including possible sympathetic rulings for Trump. And they said his record and fuming testimony at a now famous Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showed he lacked the fairness, temperament and even honesty to become a justice. But the fight was defined by sexual assault accusations, especially Christine Blasey Fords allegation that a drunken Kavanaugh tried raping her at a 1982 high school gathering. Kavanaugh vehemently denied all those claims. Republican Sen. Susan Collins of Maine said Friday she will vote to confirm Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court nomination, all but ensuring the Senate will elevate the conservative jurist to the nations highest court. (Oct. 5) All but one Republican lined up behind him, arguing that a truncated FBI investigation turned up no corroborating witnesses and that Kavanaugh had sterling credentials for the court. Exactly one month from elections in which House and Senate control are in play, Democrats tried making sure that female voters were paying attention. Republicans are saying: your voices just dont matter, Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., said Saturday. Your experiences, your trauma, your pain, your heartache, your anger none of that matters. Their message is, we dont have to listen. We dont have to care. Sit down and be quiet. As she spoke, several hundred anti-Kavanaugh demonstrators chanted on the lawn between the Capitol and the Supreme Court. We believe survivors, they yelled. Protesters have roamed Capitol Hill corridors and grounds daily, raising anxieties and underscoring the passions the nomination fight has aroused. On Friday, announcements of support by Republican Susan Collins of Maine and Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia made Saturdays confirmation vote an anticlimactic formality. That roll call will end on a contest fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and Trumps unyielding support of his nominee. Republicans control the Senate by a meager 51-49. Support from Collins and Manchin would give Kavanaugh the majority he needs. In the moment that made clear Kavanaugh would prevail, Collins delivered a speech saying that Fords Judiciary Committee telling of the alleged 1982 assault was sincere, painful and compelling. But Collins said the FBI had found no corroborating evidence from witnesses whose names Ford had provided. We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy, said Collins, perhaps the chambers most moderate Republican. Manchin used an emailed statement to announce his support for Kavanaugh moments after Collins finished talking. Manchin, the only Democrat supporting the nominee, faces a competitive re-election race next month in a state Trump carried in 2016 by 42 percentage points. Manchin expressed empathy for sexual assault victims. But he said that after factoring in the FBI report, I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution. Republican Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a fellow moderate and a friend of Collins, became the only Republican to say she opposed Kavanaugh. She said on the Senate floor Friday evening that Kavanaugh is a good man but his appearance of impropriety has become unavoidable. In a twist, Murkowski said she will state her opposition but vote present as a courtesy to Kavanaugh supporter Sen. Steve Daines, R-Mont., who is attending his daughters wedding in Montana. That procedure lets a senator offset anothers absence without affecting the outcome, and will allow Kavanaugh to win by the same two-vote margin hed have received had both lawmakers voted. Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who has repeatedly battled Trump and will retire in January, said hed vote for Kavanaughs confirmation unless something big changes. Vice President Mike Pence planned to be available Saturday in case his tie-breaking vote was needed, which now seems unlikely. In a procedural vote Friday that handed Republicans an initial victory, senators voted 51-49 to limit debate, defeating Democratic efforts to scuttle the nomination with endless delays. When Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July, Democrats leapt to oppose him, saying that past statements and opinions showed hed be a threat to the Roe v. Wade case that assured the right to abortion. They said he also seemed ready to rule for Trump if federal authorities probing his 2016 campaigns connections to Russia try to pursue him in court. Yet Kavanaughs pathway to confirmation seemed unfettered until Ford and two other women emerged with sexual misconduct allegations from the 1980s. Kavanaugh would replace the retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a swing vote on issues such as abortion, campaign finance and same-sex marriage. ___ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly, Padmananda Rama, Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report. Man who went to space with Shatner dies in plane crash Advertisement By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 03, 2018 | PADUCAH By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 03, 2018 | 11:07 AM | PADUCAH The Paducah Parks & Recreation Department is holding the sixth annual Wooftober on Saturday, October 6. The event, which includes a dog costume contest, will be held adjacent to the Paducah Dog Park in Stuart Nelson Park. Festivities will take place from 10:30 am until 4 pm, with the Dog Park will be open before and after the event to let dogs play. Also on Saturday come out to the 2nd Annual Rover Fun Run/Walk, a fun 5K (3.1 miles) that uses the Greenway Trail. Registration begins at 10:30 am with the event at 11 am. There is a $5 entry fee which provides participants with a t-shirt. Proceeds benefit local animal charities. Returning this year is a pumpkin carving contest. Carve your best pet-themed pumpkin at home and bring it to the event. Judging will be at 1 pm. Beginning at 2 pm, participants can register for the Doggie Costume Contest, which is free. The small dog costume judging parade will be at 2:30 pm with the large dogs strutting around in their costumes at 3 pm. The categories are based upon weight with 30 pounds as the dividing weight between small and large dogs. The awards ceremony will be at 3:30 pm. There are six chances to win in each size group. The awards are the Clowning-Around Award for the funniest costume, the Scaredy-Cat Award for the scariest costume, the Paws-itively Pup-tastic Award for the most gorgeous costume, the Top Dog Award for the best owner and dog costume combo, the Best Dog Team Effort Award for owners who have more than two dogs all in costume, and the Hot-dogger Award for the best overall costume. There will be several animal rescue, educational, and service groups in attendance to provide a variety of pet-related information and services. Puppies and dogs will be available for adoption. Services available include micro-chipping, nail trimming, vaccinations, pet boarding, grooming and healthcare information. Wooftober is a family-friendly event for all ages; however, some dogs dont respond well to new places, children, or other animals. Please use your best judgment in determining if your pet will enjoy the event. If you are participating in Wooftober or using the dog park, please make sure to follow the Paducah Dog Park rules including the requirements to keep dogs on leashes until they are inside the dog park enclosure and to clean up after pets using the available doggie bags. Children under age 15 must be accompanied by an adult. Also, please do not bring human food into the Paducah Dog Park or to Wooftober. For more information about Wooftober, contact Special Events Coordinator Molly Johnson at 270-444-8508 or by email at mtjohnson@paducahky.gov. Visit the Parks & Recreation Department online at www.paducahky.gov. By West Kentucky Star Staff Oct. 05, 2018 | 02:20 PM | MAYFIELD Generations Adult Day Services in Mayfield has received a grant from the Honorable Order Kentucky Colonels (HOKC) in the amount of $2,500 to purchase a magnetic lock door. Generations Executive Director Maureen Platt-Russell said that this grant is part of a record $2 million awarded by the Kentucky Colonels.The Generations Adult Day Services serves individuals who are disabled, frail, are in need of socialization, nursing supervision, or who have Alzheimer's disease or a dementia related disorder. The goal of Generations is to provide respite and support to the caregiver, while offering a day of encouragement, socialization and tender care to the participant.The $2 million mark is a record for the Kentucky Colonel's annual grant program, according to HOKC Executive Director Sherry Crose, as more than 230 charities throughout the Commonwealth will receive grants this year, and three million Kentuckians will be aided through the combined impact of the non-profit organizations receiving these grants.Lynn Ashton, Commanding General of the Kentucky Colonels said, "A Kentucky Colonel is more than just a certificate, it is a group of compassionate people who care about people."HOKC is a 501(c)(3) supporting Kentucky charities and worthy organizations through its Good Works Program. Donations are given by Colonels appointed by the Governor, who chose to exercise this honor in a meaningful way. For more information go to www.kycolonels.org.Generations Adult Day Services is located at 225 West Water Street in Mayfield, and can be reached at (270)-247-1311. On the Net: BATAVIA, N.Y. (AP) - A western New York shoe manufacturer founded by two Civil War veteran brothers more than 150 years ago has closed, putting its 82 employees out of work. P.W. Minor in Batavia shut down Friday. A layoff notice filed with the state Department of Labor said the company would close Oct. 5. A layoff notice filed in September had said the company planned to cut 45 jobs but remain open. The company said it closed for economic reasons. Chief Operating Officer Hundley Elliotte thanked employees for their dedication and work. In 2016, two western New York-based entrepreneurs bought the company just days before it was scheduled to close. Union Army veterans Peter and Abram Minor founded the company outside Ithaca in 1867. Peter Minor eventually moved the company to Batavia in the 1890s. (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.) CANASTOTA Three people are facing charges after they were allegedly found to be in possession of bath salts and other drugs, according to the Madison County Sheriffs Office. At 5:30 p.m. Thursday, the Sheriffs Office and Canastota Police Department executed a search warrant at 130 West St. in the village of Canastota. Deputies say 58-year-old Daniel Depugh of Canastota and 38-year-old Colleen Collins of Syracuse were both found to be possessing 40 grams of MDPV (commonly known as bath salts), 20 cigarettes dipped in PCP, several ounces of marijuana butter, 90 dosage units of LSD, 1.5 pounds of marijuana, and several scales and envelopes used for measuring and packaging controlled substances, according to deputies. The two are each charged with: - 4 Counts of Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 7th degree (Misdemeanor) - Unlawful Possession of Marihuana (Violation) - Criminal Possession of Marihuana in the 5th degree (Misdemeanor) - Criminal Possession of Marihuana in the 2nd degree (Felony) - Criminal Possession of a Stimulant in the 2nd degree (Felony) - Criminal Possession of a Stimulant in the 3rd degree with intent to sell (Felony) - Criminal Possession of a Stimulant in the 4th degree (Felony) - Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 4th degree (Felony) - Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 5th degree with intent to sell (elony) - Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 5th degree (Felony) - Criminal Possession of a Controlled Substance in the 3rd degree (Felony) - Criminal Possession of Controlled Substance in the 4th degree (LSD) (Felony) - Criminal Use of Drug Paraphernalia in the 2nd degree (Misdemeanor) Depugh is also charged with misdemeanor fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon for allegedly possessing metal knuckles. Deborah Collins, 57, of Canastota, is charged with misdemeanor seventh-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance for possessing bath salts. Daniel Depugh and Colleen Collins were arraigned and sent to the Madison County Jail. Depugh is being held without bail, and Collins is being held on $50,000 cash bail or $100,000 bond. Deborah Collins was issued an appearance ticket for the Village of Canastota Court. OXFORD A Chenango County man is facing charges after he was allegedly found to be in possession of crystal meth and several weapons, according to the Chenango County Sheriffs Office. Around 5:45 a.m. Friday, the Sheriffs Office and the New York State Police CNET and SORT teams executed a no-knock search warrant at 24 N. Washington St. in the village of Oxford. Deputies say prior to their no-knock search, they conducted a lengthy investigation at that location and found that 40-year-old Joshua Figery was allegedly involved with the distribution of crystal methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana in Oxford. That investigation then led authorities to the no-knock search warrant at that location. Deputies say during the search, crime scene technicians and detectives found several loaded handguns, including a .380 caliber handgun, two .22 caliber handguns, and a .40 caliber handgun. They also found approximately 20 grams of crystal methamphetamine, which was individually packaged to be sold, and more than $1,200 in cash. Deputies say their investigation also found that one of the handguns was stolen. Figary was then located at 10 Franklin St. in Oxford and taken into custody without incident. Hes charged with two counts of third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance, criminal possession of drug paraphernalia, criminal possession of a weapon, and criminal possession of stolen property. Utica, N.Y. - Quite a nice and very spirited turnout Saturday at Aqua Vino in Utica for the Proctor High School Class of 1948 class reunion. Class of 1948 Alumnus Al Altieri, who still lives in Utica, was one of the organizers. Altieri says it's believed that 44 out of the 259 graduating seniors from 1948 are still alive and he says just about every one of them attended Saturday's reunion, "When you look back, in my opinion, your high school days are the best times of your life." This is the 70 year class reunion, which makes the alumni that attended either 88 or 89 years old. Altieri says the class of 1948 has been holding reunions every five years for a while now and it seems this particular one is extra special. Mary Morreale Ritz says it was great to grow up in Utica at the time when she and her classmates did. Her family was of Italian decent and so were so many of the other families in east Utica. She remembers vividly waking up to the smell of a fresh pot of sauce brewing on her mother's stove and the meatballs coming out of the frying pan. But she says many of those meatballs never made it into the sauce pan, as she and her family members would eat them right out of the frying pan, "We still do that today." Morreale Ritz says another thing she vividly remembers is a bustling downtown Utica, "Downtown was wonderful. We used to walk downtown, everything was downtown, it was nice." Margaret Putrelo Montanaro, who is 89, brought her date to the reunion, her longtime husband, who is 91 years old and was in the Proctor High School Class of 1946. Margaret says it's sad to see classmates pass away between reunions, "We lost a lot in the last five years, we lost a lot, it really hit us hard, but we're still hanging in there." Margaret says she is looking forward to the Class of 1948 75 year reunion, five years from now. LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) - Some have questioned...what are the rules on window regulations for high rise apartments? This question comes after the tragic suicide of a 19-year-old Purdue Student at The Hub apartments almost two weeks ago. As you walk past The Hub, its noticeable that the windows dont have screens or any kind of protection on them. It's always very sad when you lose a student," said 27th District State Representative Sheila Klinker. West Lafayette building commissioner Chad Spitznagle says the windows on the building are up to code. A code that is established on the state level. "Those permits receive a construction designer release, CDR, through the state, their plan reviewers, before it even comes to our office, he said. He said The Hub was not a rushed project. Everything was done back in 2016, so the contractors did a nice job over the last couple of years working through those scenarios, state releases, he said. The process to get approved by the state is pretty lengthy. When a town or city gets a new building request, it goes straight to Indianapolis where it goes through rigorous scrutiny. Every hallway, window, and electrical socket needs to be approved by the state. They even continue inspections throughout the construction process, where any violation that arises must be addressed. And when it comes to high rise buildings like The Hub, Spitznagle said a lot more is taken into consideration than just the safety of those inside. "Fire departments, when they are there, they need to open up windows to get smoke out to ventilate things in a fire," he said. Klinker says addressing window regulations is a fine line. "They have to meet code and our firefighters in these high rises have to be able to get to them quickly but you also have to make sure that you feel like you're safe too," she said Klinker said she's had people come to her from all backgrounds about this. "It isn't just legislators who are talking about this its people who have students that are coming into the university setting," she said. And she's ready to bring this up with her colleagues. "There are two sides to every problem that we have and so we'll be discussing this with our safety officers at the State House, she said. Anyone looking to voice their concerns about safety code regulations can contact Doug Boyle, director of the FPBSC at the state house, at doboyle@dhs.in.gov. Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery for the 2014 killing of African-American teenager Laquan McDonald by a jury on Friday. The verdict was reached after fewer than eight hours of deliberation and was publicly released by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Vincent Gaughan. Van Dyke now faces a minimum sentence of six years in prison. Daniel Herbert, attorney for the defense, told the press there are plans to appeal the decision. Van Dyke murdered the 17-year-old in an industrial area on Chicagos southwest side four years ago this month. The conviction on 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm is for each bullet that Van Dyke shot into the teens body. The defense attempted to convince the jury that Van Dyke acted out of fear for his life, painting a picture of McDonald as a deranged criminal. However, overwhelming evidence, including the dashcam video and testimony from witnesses and experts, made clear that McDonald posed no threat to Van Dykes safety. He was not lunging or otherwise moving toward Van Dyke before being shot. Dashcam footage showed that McDonald was not acting violently and was walking away from officers before the shooting. Officer Joseph McElligott, who trailed McDonald in a squad car and shone a light on him for blocks on foot, testified that he never felt the need to shoot the teen. An FBI ballistics expert said of the shooting that Van Dykes emptying of the clip of his magazine into McDonald was consistent with a deliberate rate of fire, taking time to aim each shot. Another witness for the prosecution testified that the use of deadly force against McDonald, who held a three-inch pocketknife, was completely unnecessary. The verdict came in spite of the attempts at cover-up by the office of Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, then-Chicago Police Department (CPD) Superintendent Garry McCarthy and the entire Chicago city Council. After the shooting, the city suppressed the police dashcam recording for over one year and allowed Van Dyke to walk free, while it paid McDonalds family $5 million in exchange for agreeing not to talk about the case. Van Dyke went to trial only because of the public outrage at the dashcam footage, which was leaked in late 2015. The release exposed the cover-up of the murder in a city notorious for sweeping routine police brutality and killings under the rug. Chicago police began preparations on Thursday to suppress protests in the event of a not guilty verdict. Squad cars and police buses assembled in staging areas at Guaranteed Rate Field on the citys south side and in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the citys west side. The Chicago Police Department announced that it would require officers to work 12-hour shifts with no days off in the period after the verdict. Several schools and universities announced that they would take increased security measures on Friday, with some campuses shutting down early in anticipation of protests. St. Ritas High School on Chicagos south side said Thursday that school officials were meeting with police captains and ramping up security measures in preparation for the verdict. South Loop Elementary School told the press that it was ready to go into lockdown mode if protests broke out. Crowds of protesters gathered outside of City Hall before the verdict was handed down, with cheers breaking out when the verdict was read. Demonstrators marched around city hall and through the Loop, blocking some streets. Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will not seek reelection in 2019, due in part to the exposure of his role in the cover-up of McDonalds murder. After the trial, he issued a statement with CPD Superintendent Eddie Johnson, declaring, The effort to drive lasting reform and rebuild bonds of trust between residents and police must carry on with vigor. The calls to reform the police are echoed by Democratic Party politicians and pseudo-left groups throughout the city and state, who attempt to frame the shooting as primarily a racial issue. On Friday, Illinois state Attorney General Lisa Madigan spoke of the need to increase so-called community policing to prevent police violence. This is a cloaked term meaning that the ruling class will move to increase policing of working class communities, while hiring more minority and female cops. The same sentiments were echoed by Timuel Black, the 99-year-old Chicago civil rights activist and college professor, a long-time friend of former US President Barack Obama. An honorary member of the pseudo-left group Democratic Socialists of America, Black said during a talk hosted at the University of Chicago by radio station WBEZs podcast 16 Shots on Wednesday that the replacement of foot soldiers with squad cars in poor communities of color is to blame for the rise in police shootings, and said that McDonald would not have been shot if he had been white. Such an account leaves out the basic class issues involved in police violence. Whatever role racism plays in individual shootings, police violence affects workers of all races. Data shows that while the blacks and Latinos are overrepresented in police murder statistics, the largest number of victims of police killings are white. Like McDonald, the vast majority are working class and poor. For Obamas part, as president he oversaw both the growth of record social inequality in the US and an epidemic of police killings. Obama armed police departments around the country with military-grade weapons and refused to prosecute killer cops. During his two terms, he did everything he could to cover up the class basis of police repression and promoted the idea that it is entirely an issue of race. The city of Chicago is taking measures to increase policing and suppress public protests while thousands of hotel workers in the city remain on strike for higher wages and benefits and UPS workers have voted against a concessions contract which the Teamsters Union is intent on pushing through. The ruling class in Chicago and throughout the country fears that anger over police violence will connect with the struggles of workers for higher wages and better working conditions. This is the reason why the ruling class is so desperate to cover up the true causes of police violence behind the smoke screen of identity politics and police reforms, hiding the truth that it is the capitalist system of social inequality that lies at its root. The US Senate voted Friday to close debate on the confirmation of Trumps right-wing Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh by a 5149 margin, as Republican Susan Collins and Democrat Joe Manchin announced their support for the appeals court judge. The final confirmation vote will take place Saturday. Barring last minute theatrics, the cloture vote secures the confirmation of the arch-reactionary to what will be the most right-wing court in over a century. Kavanaughs confirmation will bring to a close an anti-democratic process from which the masses of people are entirely excluded. With Kavanaugh on the court, the composition of the body will reflect the domination of the financial oligarchy over the political process like never before. Four of the nine justices will have been nominated by presidents who lost the popular vote (George W. Bush and Donald Trump). Including the two nominated by Clinton, six of the justices will have been nominated by presidents who received less than 50 percent of votes. The Democratic Party opposed Kavanaugh not because of his political record as a supporter of torture, deportation, war and attacks on the rights of the working class, but based on uncorroborated, 36-year-old allegations of sexual assault that became the sole focus of the confirmation process. From the start, the Democrats opposition to Kavanaugh was never intended to block his nomination. The Democrats fundamentally agree with Kavanaughs right-wing views. They offer no principled opposition to his hostility to the right to abortion, which the Democratic Party has abandoned as a political issue. In an editorial board statement Friday, the New York Times signaled that the Democratic Partys opposition to Kavanaugh was not based on political differences with Trumps nominee. The newspaper even encouraged Trump to replace Kavanaugh with an equally reactionary justice, as long as the person nominated had not been accused of assault: President Trump has no shortage of highly qualified, very conservative candidates to choose from, if he will look beyond this first, deeply compromised choice, the Times wrote. The right-wing character of the Democratic Partys opposition to Kavanaugh was hinted at by Republican Senator Susan Collins, who spoke from the Senate floor Friday afternoon to defend her decision to vote for Kavanaugh. At the appellate level, Collins said, Kavanaugh had a voting record similar to that of Merrick Garland, whom Barack Obama and the Democratic Party attempted to elevate to the Supreme Court in 2016. Garlands nomination was blocked by the Republicans. Garland and Kavanaugh served together on the Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia, Collins explained, and voted together in 93 percent of cases. They joined one anothers opinions 96 percent of the time. From 2006, one of the two judges dissented from an opinion written by the other only once. In the end, each party has gotten what it wanted out of the process. The Republicans secured the confirmation of their nominee, while the Democrats succeeded in creating a new narrative leading up to the midterm elections, which are a month away. In appearances on cable news following Fridays vote, numerous Democratic Party hacks explained that Kavanaughs confirmation would increase Democratic support among suburban women. CNN talking head and Clinton confidante Gloria Borger explained that the ordeal would boost Democrats running for the House of Representatives, especially in more affluent suburbs, where women were outraged by accusations against Kavanaugh. Recent polls show the obsessive focus on allegations of sexual assault may benefit Democrats in congressional elections where suburban voters in swing districts will determine the outcome of the vote. There is a possibility, however, that the Democrats strategy could backfire, especially in swing Senate races. Polls published in the last several days show that Republican voters are far more energized than they were before the Democrats attempted to block Kavanaughs nomination on the basis of largely uncorroborated sexual assault allegations. To keep momentum building in the month before the midterms, Democrats staged a number of demonstrations yesterday to distract from Kavanaughs right-wing politics. Outside of Washington D.C., turnout was almost non-existent. Within the capital, dozens gathered to shout at senators on Capitol Hill. A handful of people held a kegger protest outside the office of Senate Republican Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, at which they drank beer and denounced Kavanaugh as an alcoholic, singing, What do we do with a drunken justice early in the morning? There are concerns among the more astute representatives of the ruling class that the Kavanaugh confirmation charade has done real damage to public support for the institution of the Supreme Court, which has historically been viewed as less susceptible to political pressure than Congress or the presidency. Senator Collins herself said she feared the confirmation could lead to a lack of public confidence in the judiciary, something that could be hugely damaging to the political establishment. The New York Times published an op-ed Friday by Michael Tomasky, who expressed concerns over the fact that the Supreme Court will shift to the right at a time when the population is moving rapidly to the left. This is a severe legitimacy crisis for the Supreme Court, he wrote. The court was intended never to stray far from the mainstream of American political life. The fact that justices represented that mainstream and were normally confirmed by lopsided votes gave the courts decisions their legitimacy. Its also why past chief justices worked to avoid 54 decisions on controversial matters: They wanted Americans to see that the court was unified when it laid down a major new precedent. Fearful of the growth of the class struggle and rising anger among workers over stagnant wages, workplace deaths and injuries, and rising gas, rent and healthcare costs, the ruling class concerns over the legitimacy of its institutions are well-founded. Polls show increasing disdain for the government and increasing support for socialism, especially among young people. To confront this growing opposition to capitalism, the ruling class has installed a Supreme Court that will protect its privileged position and facilitate state repression by rubber-stamping surveillance, censorship, xenophobic attacks on immigrants and the buildup of the police powers of the state. Asia India: Police arrest 600 protesting Yamaha workers Police arrested around 600 demonstrating Yamaha India workers on October 2 during a protest outside the Kancheepuram bus terminus. The arrested workers were detained at a nearby hall. The demonstrations erupted after the company, a major two-wheeler manufacturer, sacked two workers for their involvement in union activities. More than 750 Yamaha India employees began an indefinite strike and occupation of the plant on September 21 to demand the two workers be reinstated. The two workers had led the struggle to establish a new union, the Yamaha Motor Thozhilalar Sangham (India Motor Workers Association). The union is linked to the Stalinist Communist Party of India (Marxist) and its Centre of Indian Trade Unions. On September 26, police attacked the striking Yamaha workers as well as 1,300 Royal Enfield workers, who had walked out on September 24 and occupied their plant to demand a wage rise. Police violently broke up the occupation and ejected the auto workers from their respective plants. Both of the manufacturing facilities are located in Tamil Nadus Oragadam special economic zone, near Chennai, the state capital. Tamil Nadu sanitary workers protest for better compensation On October 2, hundreds of contracted sanitary workers in Madurai, Tamil Nadu, held a sit-down protest blocking the Collectors Office to demand compensation for a fellow worker who was accidently killed collecting garbage on September 28. The sanitation workers also demanded abolition of contract employment and strong action against the contracting company who employed the dead worker. They also denounced company officials who failed to ensure the seriously injured man was given proper medical treatment. Protesters alleged that the officials had not even bothered to listen to workers demands until three days after the incident. Pakistan teachers, municipal workers and others demand unpaid wages and benefits Protests have erupted across Pakistan over the non-payment of wages and other benefits because the federal, state and local governments have failed to provide the necessary funds. On September 28, teachers at government schools in Karachi demonstrated to demand the immediate payment of five months outstanding wages and benefits. About 1,500 teachers in the city have been impacted by the non-payment. According to the National Testing Service Teachers Ittehad, the union which organised the protest, the affected teachers were only recently given permanent jobs by the Sindh state government after a protracted industrial struggle. Social austerity measures by the Sindh government have also affected workers running more than 450 reverse osmosis water treatment plants in the Thar district. Plant operations have been outsourced to a private firm but workers blamed the government for not paying the private firm. The osmosis water treatment workers have threatened to expand their protests and shut down the plant if the payments are not made. On Monday, Municipal Committee Parachinar employees demonstrated in Peshawar denouncing the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa state government for not paying outstanding wages and other payments in the past three years. Pakistan miners demand better safety and working conditions Hundreds of miners demonstrated in cities throughout Pakistan last week for better working conditions and the implementation of modern safety measures. The IndustriALL Pakistan Council, a trade union syndicate, led the protests, which were held in Quetta, Karachi, Islamabad, Gujarat, Faisalabad, Multan, Lahore, Peshawar, Dera Ismail Khan and other cities. While mines in Pakistan are governed under the official Mining Act of 1923, mine owners are notorious for violating the most basic safety measures and imposing a super-exploitative work regime. Workers are only paid between 7,000 ($US56.78) and 12,000 rupees, which is less than the government mandated minimum wage, and according to the union between 100 and 200 miners die each year in Pakistan. The main demonstration last week was held on September 29 in Quetta under the slogan Black Friday. Workers have called for mine owners to implement ILO Convention 176 on safety and health conditions in mines. Ninety-eight workers have been killed so far this year. At least 23 workers were killed in two incidents in the past month. The most recent incident occurred on September 30 when four mine workers were killed by a methane gas explosion in the Sanjdi area of Balochistan. Five miners were rescued by their co-workers. Bangladesh airline workers stop work Casual ground handling workers for Biman Bangladesh Airlines, the national carrier, at Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka, struck for five hours on Sunday and protested outside the companys Biman headquarters to demand permanent jobs. While loading and unloading operations were hampered, Civil Aviation Authority of Bangladesh employees and members of the security forces were ordered to maintain operations. The strikers returned to work after airline authorities claimed they would investigate workers demands. Sacked Hong Kong cabin crew protest termination arrangements About 20 sacked crew members from British Airways Hong Kong staged a sit-down protest outside the carriers office in Sheung Wan on Thursday night. The demonstration resulted in a two-hour negotiation between the airline and union representatives. Last Wednesday, the airline sacked 57 crew members immediately, with another 24 to finish at the end of October. Permanent staff were previously given until last Saturday, three days after being axed, to accept the companys compensation terms. If they did not agree, they would only receive the minimum required under Hong Kong labour laws. This deadline has now been extended to next Friday. Britains national airline has been reducing its international operations to cut costs. Cabin crews based in Singapore, Buenos Aires and Sao Paulo were laid off last year. Burmese workers continue month-and-a-half strike over dismissals Some 200 workers at the Chinese owned Fu Yuen garment factory in the Dagon Seikkan Industrial Zone in Burmas largest city Yangon have been on strike for more than 45 days over the dismissal of 30 fellow workers. On August 14, hundreds of workers protested at the factory, demanding fair overtime pay and on time payments. They demanded the hiring of more workers to decrease demanding workloads. On August 20, the 30 workers, all of them union members, were sacked for instigating the protest. The current strike began the next day when workers barricaded entrances to the factory. The company agreed to meet most of the demands of the strikers but refused to rehire the 30 former employees. Ma Thet Htar Swe, one of the 30 and a union leader at the plant, said the workers had appealed to the regional and national government for help but received no reply. The National League for Democracy, the ruling party, claimed its Labour Affairs Committee was trying to resolve the dispute but put responsibility onto the arbitration court. Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Hundreds of building workers strike in Queensland Over 700 building workers went on strike this week at the financially troubled $1 billion Jewel Resort construction development site in Surfers Paradise on the Queenslands Gold Coast. The workers walked off the job after Multiplex, the major contractor, told a number of its subcontractors that it was reducing work on the development's three high-rise buildings. An earlier suspension of some work on internal floors in apartments had led to 150 job losses. Yuhu Group Australia, the project developer, has announced plans to re-tender some unfinished parts of the building and is also trying to find a hotel operator. While Yuhu claims it is committed to completing the project, many subcontractors believe the developer will only be able to finish construction of the resort's hotel and around 90 of the 512 planned apartments. Some fear they will not receive payment for the materials they have already purchased and may have to lay off staff. Lion cuts jobs at breweries amid dispute for work agreement Castlemaine Perkins Four X brewery in Milton, Queensland announced this week that it will axe 25 full-time jobs, a quarter of the facilitys workforce. The brewery is the site of a protracted enterprise agreement dispute involving the United Voice union. The brewery workers have been involved in a number of stoppages and protests opposing the attempts by Lion, which owns the facility, to use contract labour to cover full-time employees leave. They have denounced the proposal as a move towards greater casualisation. The contract workers would be paid up to 25 percent less than permanent staff. In July, the Fair Work Commission (FWC), the federal industrial tribunal, upheld an application by the company banning all industrial action. United Voice had already restricted industrial action to extremely limited stoppages. The union immediately complied with the FWC order. This week Lion also announced that it will reduce shifts at its West End brewery in South Australia, resulting in the axing of 36 full-time jobs or a third of its current workforce of 100. New Zealand ministry of justice workers continue industrial action After a two-hour nationwide strike on September 19, court workers throughout New Zealand continue to take various forms of industrial action, after pay negotiations with the Public Services Association (PSA) remain unresolved. Court staff are maintaining a work-to-rule, which is planned to last until October 19. An hour-long strike was held at district courts in South Auckland on September 27 and workers walked off the job at the Whangarei District and High Court buildings for an hour on Monday morning. The Whangarei strike included five security guards. The PSA is limiting the court workers pay dispute to closing the gender pay gap. It has not called for another nationwide strike and restricted any strike action to only one or two hours. The union recently negotiated and imposed a sell-out deal on Inland Revenue workers. New Zealand primary teachers union recommends rolling strike The New Zealand Educational Institute (NZEI) has recommended one-day rolling regional strikes in the face of mass opposition by primary school teachers to two government pay offers. The recommendation follows 24-hour, nationwide strike action on August 15. A vote for further industrial action in November will be taken between October 16 and 25. The ministry of education offer was around 3 percent for three years, far below the 16 percent increase teachers are demanding, with no proposals to lessen workloads or increase support for students with special education needs. NZEI delegates met on October 1 to discuss strike options. While there is popular support for a two-day, nationwide strike, the union claims that some delegates were concerned about the financial cost to teachers. The union is continuing to sow illusions that the government will offer a better deal. Acting Education Minister Tracey Martin attended an NZEI conference dinner last Sunday but did not mention the pay dispute. New Zealand anaesthetic technicians strike Apex, the union representing hospital anaesthetic technicians, announced strikes for its members in Hawkes Bay and Northland. Hawkes Bay technicians went on strike for 24 hours last Friday and strikes in Northland are planned for next month. Industrial action is being taken after negotiations to improve pay and working conditions broke down. According to the union, the technicians are understaffed with five out of 19 Northland positions left vacant. Strike action could spread to the Lake District and Southern District Health Boards (DHBs) if an offer is rejected. The strike follows 30,000 healthcare workers who struck in July after numerous rejected pay offers from the DHBs. The New Zealand Nurses Organisation eventually secured a sell-out deal by dragging out the negotiations and wearing down workers until they accepted a deal far below what they were demanding. Strikers lift blockade in French territory of Wallis and Futuna On Wednesday, striking officials in the remote French territory of Wallis and Futuna were told by the court to lift their blockade. It follows an offer made the previous week from the French prefect that the workers could be reclassified as French public servants if they pass a written and oral exam. The workers have been on strike over the issue since September 17 and set up the blockade on September 20. New Caledonia firefighters strike Firefighters on the French-Polynesian island of New Caledonia went on strike on September 27. Five unions presented the government with a series of demands to restructure the organisation of firefighting. This included creation of a professional corps and drawing up a plan for the mass hiring and training of staff. The strike follows industrial action by firefighters in Wallis and Futuna on September 18. The Rail, Maritime Transport (RMT) and ASLEF trade unions are escalating their efforts to sell out rail workers fighting the imposition of Driver Only Operated trains (DOO). The fight against DOO is in grave danger due to the unions opposition to mobilising their tens of thousands of members in an all out fight against the orchestrated Tory government/transport conglomerates assault on rail workers. This operation has continued over the last two years, involving well financed scabbing operations, the courts, threats of violence against strikers by ministers and the rolling out of new anti-strike lawsall backed by the corporate media. Rail workers desire to fight DOO is seen in the support for the series of ongoing strikes. Guards at South Western Railway began a 48-hour strike at midnight Thursday against DOO, with a further stoppage set for October 15, while guards on Arriva Northern are striking today over the issue, with more strikes on October 13 and 20. The latest sellout is being pushed through at Merseyrail, which carries 110,000 passengers per weekday and employs 1,200 staff. It runs services across the Liverpool City region and into Cheshire, Chester and West Lancashire. RMT general secretary Mick Cash recently called off strikes by Merseyrail conductors for months, based on a deal to impose a form of DOO. The RMT, Merseyrail and the Labour Party led Liverpool City Region Combined Authority agreed in principle in a joint statement that the design of the new trains proposes that the door control and dispatch of the trains will transfer to the driver. Transport giants Serco and Abellio between them own 100 percent of shares in the Merseyrail franchise. Serco is a private outsourcing operation based in the UK and Abellio is a private arm of the Dutch state railways, Nederlandse Spoorwegen. Merseyrail conductors have been in dispute for 18 months, taking 16 days of strike action. They were supported by train drivers from the ASLEF union who refused to cross picket lines. This powerful act of solidarity in the face of legal threats, which threatened to become a rallying point across the rail network, has been systematically undermined at every stage by the unions. Cash hailed the Merseyrail deal as significant because a second so-called safety critical person on the train will be retained. The statement agreed only to examine ways to pay for a second member of staff on each train but only if additional funding is generated. All parties would over the next months develop a full proposed agreement. The safety critical aspects of a new role are all up for grabs as an element of this will be agreeing the role and safety responsibilities of this second member of staff as part of the process. The current business case will need to be revisited. Whilst this takes place and until dialogue has been completed there will be no further industrial action. Merseyrail Managing Director, Andy Heath, committed only to explore the affordability of retaining a second person on board the new trains. The proposed sellout came after the RMT pushed through a deal in July at Greater Anglia, covering the region of Eastern England. After a series of strikes by workers confronting a massive strikebreaking operation, the RMT secured a vote to transfer door procedures from conductors to drivers. The Tories with the support of the unions are responsible for the largest expansion of DOO services in more than 30 years. In December 2017, the RMT published figures showing that under the current plans at that time, a million more trains per year would run across the UK without a conductor. * The RMT assisted the removal of 130 conductors from London Overground services in 2013-14. They overturned a strike mandate, forcing conductors to take redundancy or migrate into London Overground ticket office jobs. *In 2016, the RMT described as a victory the imposition of a form of DOO on ScotRail conductors, where drivers now open doors and conductors close them. Prior to this, 50 percent of ScotRail services were already DOO. *The majority of Southern GTR conductors are now On-Board Supervisors stripped of door operations. After first rejecting company threats to accept the new role or lose their jobs in 2017, the RMT told members to accept the new role. Before the strikes initiated in early 2016, GTR services were already 50 percent DOO. *There are advanced preparations for DOO at Great Western Railways and West Midlands Trains (WMT), where the RMT has blocked calls by workers to organise industrial action. Behind the assault on the conductors is the massive cuts package initiated by Lord McNulty's recommendations in 2011. Commissioned by the last Labour government, the McNulty report became Tory government policy, with many of his proposals enforced with the collaboration of the unions. McNulty recommended cutting 20,000 jobs, pay cuts, productivity drives and insisted the default position for all services on the GB Rail network should be DOO (driver-only operation), with a second member of train-crew only being provided where there is a commercial, technical or other imperative. With workers standing firm to fight these plans, the rail unions initiated a joint campaign in 2015, claiming they opposed DOO in all forms and would restore conductors to trains where they had previously been removed. However, they limited actions to isolated one-day and two-day strikes to minimize the impact while allowing workers to dissipate their anger. The Socialist Equality Party warned from the outset that the unions pledge was a smokescreen behind which they would collaborate with the government to impose DOO. Everything that has happened since, now underlined by the Merseyrail agreement, confirms that without the connivance of the rail unions the McNulty report would have been stopped in its tracks. Crucially, the deal was welcomed by the Labour Party Metro Mayor for the Liverpool City Region, Steve Rotheram. Rotherams predecessor and now Labour Liverpool Mayor, Joe Anderson, is notorious for attacking Merseyrail strikes and ridiculing the conductors role in the face of a mountain of evidence proving their vital safety contribution to safety. Whilst presenting a more left face, Rotheram warned no rail workers job was safe, saying, I also want to be clear that it requires a significant financial commitment and hard choices on all sides. Even more attacks on rail workers jobs are planned. According to the RMT, ASLEF are collaborating with GTR to upgrade the new technology to introduce full DOO dispatch that eliminates train dispatchers jobs on the platforms. Arriva Rail London and Transport for London (TFL) have just announced the planned closure of 51 of 100 London Overground ticket offices. When DOO was imposed on London Overground, the RMT confronted conductors with the choice of redundancy or migrating into tickets offices, which 40 conductors did. They now again face losing their jobs. The RMT have demanded right-wing Labour Party London Mayor Sadiq Khan step in to halt the closures. During his mayoral election campaign Khan promised to reconsider the closure of 265 London Underground (LUL) ticket offices carried out by his Tory predecessor Boris Johnson. As soon as he took office, the pledge was dropped and the ticket offices remained closed. Over the last two years, conductors and drivers have fought for a unified struggle in the face of an onslaught by the Conservative government and right-wing Labour Party figures demanding the crushing of the strikes. Workers must confront the fact that they face equally determined opponents in the RMT and ASLEF bureaucracy, who are actively supporting and collaborating in imposing DOO in various forms. Without a break with the pro-capitalist unions, the struggle against DOO is heading for defeat. The Socialist Equality Party calls for the formation of rank-and-file committees to take the struggle out of the grip of the union bureaucracy. Such committees must draw up demands for powerful unified strikes of drivers and conductors and all rail workers across the UK and Europe to oppose the state backed transport conglomerates: * Oppose DOO in any form. * Revoke the McNulty attacks on workers jobs. * Billions for rail transport, affordable fares, pensions, jobs and wage increases. * Workers control over safety, end the dictatorship of private corporate profiteers! * For joint action by rail workers across the UK and Europe facing the same brutal attacks. The Socialist Equality Party calls for the private rail companies to be expropriated, without compensation to franchise owners, and controlled democratically by transport workers and the travelling public. It is the only way to create a safe, affordable, comprehensive and democratically controlled modern transportation system free from the transport conglomerates. Only one week ago, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders presented himself as the arch-enemy of the online retail giant Amazon and its CEO Jeff Bezos, the wealthiest man on the planet. After Amazon announced it would increase starting pay for its workers from $12 to $15 an hour, Sanders spoke of Bezos as though the two were close friends and mutual admirers. For months, Sanders posted videos and articles to his Facebook pages denouncing the company's abuse of low paid workers in its warehouse fulfillment centers, where workers are pushed to the point of exhaustion and physical incapacitation. Sanders also criticized Bezos obscene wealth, including him in one of his Faces of Greed videos. He sponsored a bill in the Senate, which had no chance of passing, called the Stop BEZOS Act. The bill would have taxed low-wage employers such as Amazon at a rate commensurate with what their employees receive in government assistance. Sanders did everything he could to present himself as the representative of growing popular outrage in response to revelations about the abuse and exploitation of workers at Amazon, including those exposed by the WSWS. However, after Bezos increased his employees pay to a still poverty-level rate of $15 an hour, Sanders rushed to embrace Bezos as an altruistic reformer. Today I want to give credit to where credit is due, and I want to congratulate Mr. Bezos for doing exactly the right thing, Sanders said in a speech in the Senate. He added on Twitter, What Mr. Bezos has done today is not only enormously important for Amazons hundreds of thousands of employees. It could well be, and I think it will be, a shot heard around the world. Further, Mr. Bezos has indicated his support for raising the national minimum wage, Sanders added. And as someone who has introduced the $15 an hour federal minimum wage, I very much look forward to working with him in this area. Mr. Bezos and Amazon are now leading the way. Bezos tweeted his appreciation to Sanders for his kind words. Thank you @SenSanders. Were excited about this, and also hope others will join in. Amazons pay raise is a cynical public relations exercise. An increase to $15 an hour would still leave workers struggling to pay their bills, and it could even reduce income by pushing them past the eligibility threshold for welfare programs such as food stamps and subsidized rent. Moreover, the company is pairing the rise in hourly pay with the elimination of productivity incentives, bonuses and stock options. Financial analysts have pointed out that Amazon will get its pound of flesh back through speedup and lower hiring levels. Sanders is now actively working to shield Amazon from the widespread belief among workers that the announced pay rise is a sham. Our understanding is that the vast majority of Amazon workers are going to see wage increases, including some very significant increases as the minimum wage goes up to $15 an hour, Sanders said in a statement to Fox Business Channel. I would hope that as a result of Amazons new policy, no worker, especially long-time employees, sees a reduction in total compensation. Amazon can afford to make all workers whole and should do that. Sanders use of phrases such as our understanding is and I would hope that amounts to an indirect admission that the things he is denying are in fact true. Sanders sudden about-face shows what his campaign against the internet company was from the beginning: An attempt to get out in front of growing working class anger at Amazon and other low-wage employers in order to demobilize it. It recalls his political striptease at the 2016 Democratic National Convention, when he voted with both hands for Hillary Clintons nomination after spending months criticizing her for being in the pockets of the banks, and after Wikileaks revealed that the Democratic National Committee had conspired with Clinton against his own campaign. According to Sanders narrative, popular pressure, exerted through union campaigns such as Fight for $15 and through progressive Democrats such as Sanders himself, succeeded not only in forcing a concession from Amazon, but transformed the company and Jeff Bezos into advocates on behalf of the very workers that they ruthlessly exploit. This encapsulates the basic dishonesty of Sanders politics, which claims that the Democrats, a party of Wall Street, the military and the privileged upper-middle class, can be transformed into the vehicle for a political revolution against the very billionaires that control that party. But no amount of popular pressure can change the social interests of the capitalist class, which is based upon the exploitation of the working class. Sanders, who claims to be a democratic socialist, works tirelessly on behalf of the very billionaires he claims at times to oppose, seeking to obscure and disguise this basic truth, elementary for any genuine socialist, and to promote illusions in the possibility of capitalist reform. As with his presidential campaign in 2016, Sanders campaign against Amazon was motivated by concern that workers seeking to oppose exploitation will find their way to genuine socialism. No doubt the growth in the readership of the World Socialist Web Site's International Amazon Workers Voice was a source of anxiety in the Sanders camp, which attempted unsuccessfully to co-opt homeless Amazon worker Shannon Allen after the WSWS broke her story earlier this year. Now that everything, allegedly, is fine at Amazon, Sanders is moving on to the next campaign, this time focusing on McDonalds, which has also been targeted for protest stunts by Fight for $15. Today McDonald's pays wages that are so low many of its workers need Food Stamps, Medicaid, and public housing to survive, Sanders stated in a recent Facebook post. If McDonalds raised the minimum wage to $15 per hour and respected the constitutional rights of their workers to form a union it would set an example for the entire fast food industry to follow. Workers should place no more faith in this latest charade than in his campaign against Amazon. In its print edition on Wednesday, the New York Times devoted eight full pages to a 14,000 word investigative report on the financial practices that gave rise to the multibillion-dollar fortune of President Donald Trump. The article is the result of an 18-month investigation that included interviews with former employees of Trumps real estate mogul father, Fred C. Trump, and a review of some 100,000 pages of financial records. It presents a detailed, factual case that Trump and his siblings benefited from tax fraud to the tune of at least half a billion dollars. Even within the context of inheritance tax laws that are riddled with loopholes, some, if not all, of the tax dodges used by the Trumps to evade hundreds of millions of dollars in tax payments were very likely illegal. Whatever the legal issues, however, the picture of criminality and corruption that emerges from the Times report is one that characterizes not just the Trump clan, but the corporate-financial oligarchy as a whole. The Times found that Fred and Mary Trump transferred well over $1 billion in wealth to their children, paying a total of $52.2 million in federal taxes, an effective rate of about 5 percent. The actual estate and gift tax rate at the time was 55 percent, meaning the Trumps paid less than 10 percent of the $550 million they owed to the government. This massive tax fraud was achieved through the setting up of shell companies owned by Donald Trump and his siblings and the systematic undervaluation of the assets of Fred Trumps real estate empire, which resulted in a sharp reduction in inheritance taxes when the properties were transferred to the children prior to Fred Trumps death in 1999. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) repeatedly cited Fred Trump in the 1950s and 1960s for underpaying taxes. In 1995, it audited his gift tax return and concluded that he had undervalued assets being transferred to his children by 38 percent. But it did nothing to stop the practice, exemplifying its role and that of the government as a whole in running protection for Americas financial aristocracy and facilitating its crimes. In 1992, the Trump family established a company called All County Building Supply & Maintenance. Its purported purpose was to serve as the purchasing agent for Fred Trumps buildings, buying everything from boilers and other equipment to cleaning supplies. In reality, All County was a dummy firm. Its listed address was the Manhasset home of John Walter, a favorite nephew of Fred Trump. Walter was the legal owner of All County, along with Donald Trump and his sisters Maryanne and Elizabeth and brother Robert. The company did not actually organize the purchase of items for Fred Trumps apartment buildings. Instead, it served as a middleman, systematically padding the prices it charged Fred Trump over and above the actual cost of the purchases, sometimes by 20 percent, sometimes by 50 percent or more. By agreement with the father, the Trump children used All County as a vehicle for siphoning millions of dollars from the Fred Trump real estate empire to themselves without having to pay gift taxes to the government. Fred Trump then used the artificially induced hit to the profitability of his apartment buildings to apply for and receive permission from the state to raise rents on tenants in his rent-regulated properties. The Times cites Robert Trump as acknowledging in a deposition, The higher the markup would be, the higher the rent that might be charged. The Times reported Friday that New York City was joining New York State in investigating the allegations in its report on the Trumps finances. The newspaper cited First Deputy Mayor Dean Fuleihan as pointing out that by driving down the profitability of his buildings, Fred Trump may have fraudulently reduced his city property taxes, which are based in part on the profits reported by owners. In January of 1994, some two years after the founding of All County, the Trumps set up a new firm called Apartment Management Associates Inc. This was, according to the Times, yet another dummy company with a mailing address at John Walters home. Two months after its establishment, Apartment Management Associates, owned by Donald Trump, his siblings and cousin Walter, began collecting fees for managing Fred Trumps buildings that previously went to the fathers firm, Trump Management. Like All County, Apartment Management Associates was a mechanism for transferring wealth from Fred Trump to his heirs, without paying gift or estate taxes. The Times writes: By 1998, records show, All County and Apartment Management were generating todays equivalent of $2.2 million a year for each of the Trump children. Whatever income tax they owed on this money, it was considerably less than the 55 percent tax Fred Trump would have owed had he simply given each of them $2.2 million a year. According to the newspaper, Donald Trump, Freds favorite child and the one most involved in his business dealings, played an active role in these and other shady operations. The Times article goes on to detail how the Trumps transferred assets from father to children in the 1990s, making use of a tax dodge widely used by the super-rich, a grantor-retained annuity trust, or GRAT, to drastically undervalue the assets being transferred and thereby pay only a fraction of the gift taxes legally owed. In this way, the Trumps evaded hundreds of millions in taxes. The Trumps claimed that the fathers properties were worth $41.4 million. The same buildings were sold off over the next decade for more than 16 times that sum. In the end, the authors write, the transfer of the Trump empire cost Fred and Mary Trump $20.5 million in gift taxes and their children $21 million in annuity payments. That is hundreds of millions of dollars less than they would have paid based on the empires market value, the Times found. Much of the article details the vast sums Fred Trump transferred to Donald, which the Times estimates to have totaled $413 million in todays dollars. The newspaper makes much of the fraud of Donald Trumps claims to be a self-made billionaire, having received only a $1 million loan from his father that he parlayed into a multibillionaire-dollar empire. This is significant in as much as it points to the immense role of inherited wealth in the fortunes piled up by the corporate-financial oligarchs. However, the Times focuses on the sham of Trumps self-promoting narrative in order to score political points and distract attention from the more fundamental issue: the pervasive criminality of the corporate-financial ruling elite as a whole, its plundering of society and the complicity of the entire political establishment, which it controls. The Times seeks to present the Trumps as an aberration from the norm for very definite class reasons. It and the Democratic Party with which it is allied are defenders of the capitalist system and the oligarchy that rules it. In fact, its own expose gives a glimpse of the standard, everyday practice of the ruling class and the official institutions of governmentthe courts, the regulatory agencies, Congress and the Democratic and Republican parties. This rampant corruption and criminality have only increased in recent decades, in tandem with the social counterrevolution carried out against the working class, over which both parties have presided. The decades of deindustrialization and decimation of industrial cities and towns have coincided with the ever more dominant role of financial speculation and manipulation in the economic life of the country and, indeed, the world. Trump embodies the degraded and gangster-like social forces that have risen to the top. He is the product and expression of the decay of American capitalism and capitalist democracy. He is no aberration. A key mechanism in the social counterrevolution and consolidation of a financial oligarchy has been the systematic skewing of the tax system in favor of the rich and the super-rich. By 2009, the average federal tax rate on income from work and savings was 18 percent. This compares with 4 percent for inherited income. Estate and gift taxes have fallen from 2.6 percent of federal revenues in 1972 to less than 1 percent today, even as the share of wealth and income monopolized by the mega-rich has dramatically increased. This process was vastly accelerated with the signing of Trumps tax reform in December, which drastically slashed corporate taxes and tax rates for the rich. Systematic tax evasion by the super-rich, facilitated by the government, is by no means a purely American phenomenon. As a team of economists headed by Gabriel Zucman documented in a study published in August, the 0.01 percent richest households worldwide evade about 25 percent of their taxes just through the hoarding of assets in offshore tax shelters. With its detailed exposure of the Trump fortune, the Times has unwittingly confirmed the insistence of socialists that the continued existence of a parasitic oligarchy is incompatible with the most basic social and democratic rights of the vast majority of the population. The sordid saga of the Trumps underscores the need for the working class to expropriate the wealth of the oligarchy and put its trillions to use providing good-paying jobs, decent schools and housing, clean air and water, a secure retirement and access to culture for all people. That is to say, the need for the unification and mobilization of the working class to carry out a socialist revolution and restructure society on the basis of social equality and common ownership and democratic control of the corporations and banks. Tuesday, October 2 marked the passage of 50 years since the slaughter of protesting students by Mexicos military in the Plaza of Three Cultures in the Tlatelolco area of Mexico City. Tens of thousands of university students, teachers, and relatives of disappeared persons marched from Tlatelolco to the Plaza of the Constitution or Zocalo in downtown Mexico City, as did thousands of others in least 13 states, to commemorate the massacre, so that brutal day and the memory of those who perished or disappeared would not be forgotten. National student strikes, occupations and demonstrations had begun on July 26, 1968 with a march to the Zocalo. A half million attended another demonstration in the Zocalo in August. The student movement, part of a global radicalization of layers of students, youth and workers, was inspired by major political developments that year, such as Czechoslovakias Prague Spring, when workers rose up against its Stalinist regime, and a general strike of 10 million workers in May-June 1968 that brought France to the brink of proletarian revolution. The student strike committee included delegations from 70 universities and college preparatory schools. Its principal demands included autonomy for the countrys universities, the freeing of political prisoners, and an end to police repression and violence. On October 2, 1968 upwards of ten thousand working- and middle-class students marched to the Plaza of the Three Cultures, joined by university employees, as well as workers from dissident trade unions, including railroad workers. Some demonstrators had brought their spouses and children. Thousands of army troops and tanks surrounded the Plaza as members of the student strike committee addressed the crowd. At 6 p.m., one green and one red flare slowly wafted down from a military helicopter. As the flares reached the ground gunmen posted in the apartments above commenced firing on the speakers and demonstrators. That was the sign for a combined military and police assault on the protesters. Army troops sealed off the exits from the Plaza and proceeded to indiscriminately mow down the crowd. Witnesses described how students ran from one end of the plaza to the other in an attempt to escape, only to be met by more machine gun fire. As the operation proceeded, bodies were loaded onto army trucks and carted away. Anonymous cadavers were dropped that very same night from military airplanes over the Gulf of Mexico. At dawn on October 3rd, apartment dwellers overlooking the Plaza described seeing hundreds of shoes and pools of blood below, as bodies were still being carted away. The wounded were dragged away by their hair and disposed of. For hours, ambulances were prohibited from coming to the aid of the dying demonstrators. Military personnel even invaded hospitals, seeking to finish off those who made their way there. Many who survived were forced to run a gauntlet of soldiers who beat them with rifle butts. Over 1,300 were arrested. The whereabouts of many of them are still unknown. The Mexican government has never officially admitted to more than 30 dead. At the time, international press agencies gave an estimate 10 times higher. Others have put the figure between 300 and 400. The Mexican military was not called to account for its savage repression because the operation had been approved at the highest level of the Mexican stateby President Gustavo Diaz Ordaz, of the ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI)and had been overseen by his interior minister, Luis Echeverria, who succeeded Diaz Ordaz as president. The two had planned this attack while working closely with the upper echelons of the American security apparatus. Despite posturing behind a veneer of Mexican nationalism and independence from Yankee imperialism, in 1968 Diaz Ordaz and Echerverria had in fact served as de facto agents of the American CIA, in close contact with its Mexico City station chief Winston Scott. The highest levels of the American government closely followed the development of the 1968 Mexican student movement, and with considerable trepidation. They feared the prospect of a mass movement in what they considered their American backyard. They provided arms and munitions to the Mexican police and military units that were attacking the protestors. The Mexicans fed the Americans information about supposed Trotskyist cadres organized into an Olimpia Brigade that intended to arm themselves and provoke an uprising during the protest at Tlatelolco. Declassified cables show that President Lyndon Johnson and his national security adviser Walter Rostow initially concluded that this heavily armed brigade had opened fire on Mexican security forces on October 2, 1968, which in turn provoked the bloody reaction by Mexican forces. This was the official story that had been purveyed by the Mexican government and military heads. This was soon proven to be a fraud. The initial shooting had come from the armys Olympic Battalion, a specially trained force that had been planted in civilian clothing as a fifth column, both to create the pretext for the army to intervene, and to terrorize the demonstrators. Battalion members were distinguished by their white handkerchiefs or gloves, so troops would not fire on them as well. During a 1997 investigation by the Mexican Congress Echeverria admitted to investigators that the students had not been armed, and that the operation had been meticulously planned in advance. In preparation, the army had already occupied the Mexico Citys Polytechnic Institute, and the national university, UNAM. Nearby jails had been emptied a few days prior to October 2 in order to house those who would be arrested. It is widely accepted that Tlatelolco marked a willingness by the Mexican state to resort to a new level of violence in response to social and political opposition and dissent. This systematic violence has continued, with little abatement, to this day. During Echeverrias presidency (1970-76), the Mexican state conducted a Dirty War against left-wing students, workers, and intellectuals. On Corpus Christi day in June 1971, a CIA-trained special shock army unit called the Halcones (hawks), formed from Olympic Battalion veterans and right-wing student thugs known as porros, massacred at least 120 students who were marching in support of university autonomy, greater education funding and political freedoms for students, workers and peasants. President Echeverria called for an investigation, but instead he covered up what had been his own operation. Meanwhile, Echeverria postured as a left populist in support of Third Worldism. He sought to the lead the block of so-called non-aligned nations, and reached out to cement good relations with Fidel Castros Cuba and Salvador Allendes Chile. From 1968-74 the Mexican army, under Echeverrias orders, also conducted a scorched earth policy in quelling peasant rebellions in the mountains of southern Guerrero state, including one famously led by Ayotzinapa-trained teacher Lucio Cabanas. In January 1994, as NAFTA took effect, with its abrogation of the article of the Mexican constitution prohibiting the sale or privatization of communal landholdings, an armed insurgency broke out in the southern state of Chiapas, led by the Zapatista Army of National Liberation demanding social, cultural and land rights for the indigenous population. Although the uprising posed little threat to Mexican political stability, the government determined to eliminate the Zapatistas in order to demonstrate to international capital its effective control of the national territory and of its security policies. The Mexican army was sent in to quell the uprising. Vicente Fox, of the conservative Party of National Action (PAN), who headed the first non-PRI government since the Mexican Revolution (2000-2006), established with much fanfare a Special Prosecutors Office for Social Movements and Crimes of the Past to look into these massacres and military operations. But this office handed only a single case over to a judge during its six-year existence, charging Echeverria with genocide for his role in the Tlatelolco and Corpus Christi massacres. During the case Echeverria was sentenced to two years of house arrest, but was soon thereafter ordered freed in 2009. Similarly, Foxs call for unveiling of 80 million archives of the federal departments on security operations against social and political movements came to nothing. Documents about the Tlatelolco massacre largely remained hidden based on national security objections by the military. Such documents would detail the number of dead and disappeared, and the manner in which the massacre was organized, including the role that the American CIA and military played in the operation. Then Foxs successor Felipe Calderon, also of the PAN, unleashed the armed forces in the streets of Mexico in the name of fighting the narcotics cartels. Well over $2 billion in American aid has funded these military operations. Studies indicate that this warfare has resulted in over 150,000 dead and more than 40,000 persons disappeared. Employment by the military of summary executions, torture, and clandestine prisons became commonplace. Violence on this level has equaled if not surpassed that seen in Colombia, Guatemala, Argentina and Chile. In 2006, Enrique Pena Nieto of the PRI, then governor of Mexico state, sent hundreds of state police to clear residents of the town of Atenco who were blocking a highway in support of flower vendors. Two protestors were killed, and dozens of people assaulted, including many women who were sexually assaulted. The Popular Assembly of the peoples of the southern state of Oaxaca was also violently repressed in 2006, through employment of death squads, summary executions, and shooting of unarmed persons, including medics. Over 27 died. State and military violence famously continued under the presidential administration of Pena Nieto, which commenced in 2012. In June 2014, soldiers of the 102nd Battalion of the Infantry of the Mexican Army killed 22 people in Tlatlaya, Mexico state. The soldiers claimed to have fired in self-defense in a shootout with local gang members. An Associated Press investigation later revealed that the killings of all but one involved executions of youth who had surrendered. Most infamously, 43 teaching students of the Isidro Burgos Rural Normal School in Ayotzinapa, Guerrero state who were protesting regressive federal educational policies were disappeared and likely killed in the city of Iguala in September, 2014. An independent investigation overseen by the Inter-American Commission of Human Rights determined that a local army battalion had participated in the extrajudicial executions of these normalistas, and that the chain of command up to president Pena Nieto covered this up. To this day the federal government has blocked any inquiry into the armys role. In 2016, teachers of a dissident union protesting Pena Nietos attacks on education and students supporting them who were blocking a highway in Nochixtlan in the state of Oaxaca were fired upon by federal police without provocation. At least six died and 108 were injured. In 2016 the Mexican Congress amended the Constitution to give the president the power upon congressional approval to restrict or suspend civil liberties in the event of serious disturbances to the public peace, or anything else that places society in grave danger or conflict, that is, effectively to declare martial law. In January 2017, over ten thousand police were deployed to quash widespread protests against surging gasoline prices, in what was known as the gasolinazo. Upwards of a thousand people were arrested. In a March, 2017 speech before 32,000 active military members which was watched online by another 86,000 military personnel, Pena Nieto fervently defended the Mexican military against criticisms of human rights abuses. He charged that denigrating the armed forces or their work was inadmissible and unacceptable, bordering on the treasonous. In December 2017, the Mexican Congress enacted an Internal Security Law which grants Mexicos armed forces, federal police and intelligence services jurisdiction over civilian matters, but without civilian review. The law grants these state agencies the power to identify domestic security threats, lead security operations, and collect information from civilian institutions. Raids and arrests can be carried out without a judicial order. The Center for Investigation and National Security (CISEN) in the interior ministry is to assign a level of risk to national security to any social or political group or protest, for example, a risk of ungovernability by mobilizations. The Pena Nieto government had already been caught employing a program called Pegasus to spy on its media and political critics. The Internal Security Law also lays a legal foundation for mass spying on the Mexican population. Telecommunications service providers can be forced to deliver private communications, real-time geographical location or delivery of retained data on mobile communication equipment, without judicial overview or accountability. After hearing testimony on the Internal Security Law, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights sharply criticized the scope of the increased role of the military and intelligence, while the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights warned the law may be implemented extensively and in an arbitrary manner. Drawing on earlier conceptions of Marx and Engels, Lenin in his 1917 work The State and Revolution defined the state as an organization of violence for the suppression of some class. Lenin stressed that the fundamental nature of the order imposed by a state involved the oppression of one class by another, and the systematic denial of means of struggle to the oppressed class. Lenins definition well captures the violent nature of the Mexican bourgeois state of the last half century, operating in the interests and at the behest of Mexican and internationalprimarily Americancapital. This is a capitalist state that is incapable of bringing justice to the workers and youth who have been victimized, because the needs of the state for social control are opposed to the aspirations of the masses for equality and democratic rights. Moreover, the use by the Mexican state of widespread force and police-state measures has only increased in scale and intensity since 1968. This itself is a concentrated expression in Mexico of the intensifying class struggle arising from the world capitalist crisis, including the increasing aggression of American imperialism, and bourgeoning inequality. There can be little doubt that American imperialism would bring strong pressure to bear on the Mexican government in order to head off any significant turn away from these policies. On Wednesday of last week, in marking the fourth anniversary of the disappearance of the Ayotzinapa 43, Mexicos incoming president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador of Morena, the National Regeneration Movement, promised their families that he would institute a truth commission to get to the bottom of the atrocity. However, when the question of whether the role of the army would be thoroughly investigated, the man Lopez Obrador has designated as the next Undersecretary of Human Rights of the Ministry of the Interior, Alejandro Encinas, who will oversee the operation of the truth commission, insisted that the object of the commission could not be to investigate the armed forces. On Saturday, Lopez Obrador spoke at Tlatelolco to observe the fiftieth anniversary of the massacre. The president elect said In this historical square we commit ourselves never to use the Army to repress the people of Mexico. In virtually the same breath, however, AMLO backtracked from his campaign promise that he would immediately order the military to be withdrawn from the streets and send soldiers back to their barracks. Members of the Committee of 68, who organized Tuesdays Mexico City demonstration, called upon Lopez Obrador reactivate the Special Prosecutors Office established under President Fox. Lopez Obrador responded that while he would consider the matter, we do not want to open prosecutors for everything. Lopez Obrador has otherwise made contradictory pronouncements about fully investigating state atrocities without impunity for those involved, while at the same time dangling amnesty before their perpetrators. Such statements signal that sooner rather than later the Morena government will undertake to actively suppress an investigation as to past and future state killings, including the bloody state crime that was Tlatelolco, as well as its coverup. As Ricardo Raphael, director of the UNAM Cultural University Center on Tlatelolcowhich is currently digitalizing and making public hundreds of documents from the 1968 periodwarned earlier this year, Whoever wants impunity will try to destroy the memory. Many in Mexico, including veterans of the 1968 student movement, such as the Committee of 68, have expressed grandiose expectations for Lopez Obrador, who has long been depicted as a left populist. He has been lauded by the pseudo-left as a progressive social democrat who will pursue what he calls a fourth Mexican revolution, and has even been supported critically by political groups claiming to be Trotskyist. But as his recent equivocations as to investigating government atrocities express, Lopez Obrador is a thoroughly bourgeois politician, who will not challenge the fundamental nature or operation of the Mexican state. In truth, the Mexican ruling class, and international capital, have made their peace with this his victory precisely because he is seen as better suited to convince the Mexican working class that its fundamental interests can be protected through tepid and half-hearted reforms, rather than through a socialist revolution to take power and overturn the capitalist system. On Friday, UPS workers voted to reject a sellout contract backed by the Teamsters union and UPS management. The union, however, has announced that it considers the contract ratified and will seek to impose it in the face of mass opposition. The ballot results were released last night, with 50,248 workers (54.7 percent) voting against and 42,356 (45.74 percent) in favor. Workers at the subsidiary UPS Freight voted by 62 percent against a separate contract. Both votes follow the no vote by 1,300 UPS airline mechanics in Louisville, Kentucky on Wednesday, meaning all three of the Teamsters contracts have been defeated. The UPS depot in Madison Heights, Michigan The Teamsters is citing an anti-democratic clause in its constitution that provides it with virtually unchallengeable authority against the workers. The clause states that if turnout in the contract vote is less than half, a two-thirds majority of workers is required to reject the final agreement. Voter turnout on the national UPS agreement was 44 percent. The Teamsters statement cynically attempts to blame those workers who did not participate in the vote. As we saw in the 2016 U.S. Presidential election, it declares, winning the popular vote does not necessarily win the election when the Constitution requires you to win the Electoral College vote. As Teamsters, we too must abide by the rules in our Constitution. Thus, the National Master UPS Agreement has been ratified. Nervous of a wildcat strike, the Teamsters statement threatens: You are reminded that the terms of the 2013 Agreement remain in effect, including the no strike/no lockout clause. In effect, the union is counting those workers who did not vote as votes in favor of its agreement. No organization that was in any way accountable to workers could have such rules. Why is a two-thirds majority not required to ratify the agreement, rather than to reject it? From the beginning, the Teamsters has done everything it could to force through a sellout agreement over mass opposition. In July, workers voted overwhelmingly for strike authorization, by 93 percent, a vote that the union has simply ignored. After reaching a sellout agreement with the company, the Teamsters then dispatched local officials across the country to threaten workers with the loss of health insurance if they went on strike. The union declared that rejecting the contract would lead to a worse deal. It has spent workers dues money to hire the marketing firm BerlinRosen to promote its lies. And it has kept workers on the job for three months without a contract to buy time to wear down overwhelming anger over its sellout. Many workers have raised concerns about the integrity of the voting process. Several workers told the WSWS UPS Workers Newsletter yesterday, the final day of voting, that they had still not received their form in the mail providing an electronic online voting code. This is the first year that the Teamsters has used electronic voting on its contract. Now, to justify its efforts to repudiate the clear will of UPS workers, the Teamsters is claiming that it is merely upholding its constitution. However, in the vote on the last contract, the Teamsters ignored overwhelming defeats of local supplementary agreements to push through the national master contract, violating its own statutes. In that case, the Teamsters amended the constitution to override the votes at locals. The Teamsters is also refusing to call a strike at UPS Freight, where the turnout was approximately two thirds of the workforce. It has declared that it will request further negotiations with the companyand will force workers to vote again. Throughout this whole process, the Teamsters has demonstrated that it is not a workers organization, but an outfit of scabs and strike-breakers. It exists as a permanent conspiracy against the workers it claims to represent. UPS workers are faced with two alternatives. Either the union will remain in control and impose its sellout contract, which will create a new tier of lower-paid hybrid drivers, set a precedent for expanding the conditions of part-time work from the warehouses to deliveries, maintain poverty-level wages for part-time warehouse workers, and give a green light to the company to ramp up speedup and victimizations. Or workers can take the struggle into their own hands. The WSWS UPS Workers Newsletter urges workers follow the second course by electing rank-and-file committees in every warehouse and hub, independently of the Teamsters, to prepare an immediate nationwide walkout. These committees should draw up their own demands as the basis for a strike, including an immediate 30 percent wage increase, abolition of all tiers, the transformation of all part-time workers into full-time workers with a corresponding raise in pay and benefits, a reduction in the full-time work week from 40 to 30 hours, with no loss in pay, and workers control over production, line speed and delivery quotas. There is widespread support for a struggle. Heather, a UPS worker in Portland, told the WSWS last night, I think the union will try to push it through anyway, perhaps in some kind of quiet way as to avoid pushback. If they do, people are going to get very, very angry and I would expect a strike from workers independent of the union. We definitely need to organize in a substantial way, so we can stay informed and in discussion with each other. The votes at UPS are an expression of the growing radicalization and determination to fight in the working class across the United States and internationally. This militancy is developing in opposition to the anti-working class and pro-corporate trade unions. The no vote at UPS follows the strikes by US teachers in the spring of this year, which occurred through a rebellion against the national teachers unions, the nationwide strike of New Zealand nurses, and a growing strike wave by workers across Europe and the Middle East. These are the allies of the workers at UPS. Rank-and-file committees should send delegations to workers at Amazon, FedEx and the United States Postal Service, as well as to teachers, autoworkers and other sections of the working class, to organize a united struggle, including preparation for a general strike. The WSWS UPS Workers Newsletter is holding a second online call-in meeting to discuss a way forward for UPS workers to defeat the Teamsters effort to impose its sellout. The meeting will be at 9:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Monday, October 8. To participate, register here. You can also dial in by phone, by calling (571) 317-3122 and entering the access code 615-917-277. What four letters spark the ire of President Donald Trump more than almost any other? O-P-E-C. This week, oil prices marched to another four-year high. Why has this happened? There is a growing chorus insisting that Washington's policy against Iran has ratcheted up geopolitical tensions and could knock out up to 2 million barrels a day of Iran's exports. This has sparked a surge in prices two months after the US "snapback" sanctions against Tehran took effect. Banking, finance and investments Business and industry sectors Business, economy and trade Commodity markets Continents and regions Donald Trump Economic indicators Economy and economic indicators Embargoes and sanctions Energy and resources Energy and utilities Energy commodities Energy economic indicators Financial markets and investing Government and public administration Government bodies and offices Government organizations - Intl International relations International relations and national security Iran Middle East Middle East and North Africa North America Oil and gas industry Oil prices OPEC Political Figures - US Politics The Americas United States US federal government White House Exports and imports International trade Iran nuclear development Trade and development "Let's be frank, such oil prices are to some extent the result of the US administration. I'm talking about sanctions against Iran, about political problems in Venezuela and just looking at what's happening in Libya," Russian President Vladimir Putin said during an annual energy conference in Moscow. Trump has singled out the 15-member Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries on a handful of occasions to release more oil onto the market. But the most recent example -- Trump's recent address to the UN General Assembly -- a senior OPEC source said takes the verbal attacks and tweets to an alarming level. "OPEC and OPEC nations are, as usual, ripping off the rest of the world, and I don't like it. Nobody should like it. We defend many of these nations for nothing, and then they take advantage of us by giving us high oil prices. Not good," Trump said. As if that were not enough, the US Congress began debate Wednesday on the No Oil Producing and Exporting Cartels Act, so-called NOPEC legislation to lift immunity on sovereign states and punish them for energy price collusion. The President has criticized OPEC as an organization but has made implicit reference to his allies in the Gulf: Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates. This effort to target the major Gulf exporters in Trump's mind is a quid pro quo: He backs a tougher line against the Gulf states' regional archrival Iran and in return, they supply crude to bring down oil prices. "We protect the countries of the Middle East, they would not be safe for very long without us, and yet they continue to push for higher and higher oil prices. We will remember. The OPEC monopoly must get prices down now!" he tweeted. Trump does not welcome the more measured approach decided by OPEC and non-OPEC producers at their last committee meeting in Algiers. Saudi Arabian Energy Minister Khalid Al-Falih made it clear the kingdom was poised to release more oil onto the market, but only when there were real orders made by its customers. It pledged at the OPEC meeting in June to release up to 1 million barrels a day in the second half of the year -- and energy analysts say it is halfway there. The Saudi minister and his Russian counterpart, Alexander Novak, are walking a tightrope. They do not want to see a repeat of 2016 or 2008. When oil prices spiked higher, major producers released more crude, and the market collapsed, with the international benchmark crude, North Sea Brent, tumbling to below $30 a barrel during both crises. But the multibillion-dollar question today is this: Are prices trading above $80 due to a shortage of supplies? Or is it the ratcheting up of geopolitical tensions by Trump himself against Iran? "The current market conditions cannot be attributed to us or our actions," Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo, OPEC's secretary-general, told CNN during a phone interview after Trump's speech to the United Nations. "Stability in the oil market has always been our objective. Geopolitics is a huge challenge," Barkindo added, referring to the pressure applied to one of the organization's founding members, Iran. Sources at state-oil giant Saudi Aramco insist there is no shortage of oil and point to the latest survey by JBC Energy, which states that due to US trade measures, demand is beginning to tail off outside the United States. And there is more of the same in the pipeline coming from the United States against Iran, with Trump promising to impose additional measures against Tehran after the second round of snapback sanctions targeting oil exports, which take place November 4. Therein lies the conundrum. Trump seems determined to maximize economic sanctions against Iran by pushing oil exports to zero and to force a retreat in what is called the Shia Crescent that reaches to Syria, Lebanon, Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. At the same time, he does not want higher oil prices becoming an economic factor during midterm elections in November just as gas prices move higher. "I say you cannot have your cake and eat it, too. You cannot have Iran at zero and as well as prices lower. These two cannot go together," said Hossein Kazempour Ardebili, Iran's governor to OPEC and longtime diplomat in the country's Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The governor admitted that Iran's exports are already down by 650,000 barrels a day, from an official figure of 2.8 million in June. The Institute of International Finance pegged that drop at 800,000 barrels, pushing Iran into a recession of negative 3% this year and deepening to 4% in 2019. In the meantime, the five other signatories to the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement are scrambling to set up a barter mechanism, which would allow Tehran to continue exporting its crude by avoiding trade in the US dollar. "I think when he (Trump) goes to the end of his reasoning, he'll see it's actually good for oil prices to be able to sell again. It's good for peace and it's also good for the world price of oil," French President Emmanuel Macron said. That is the political view. But chief executives of the big energy companies such as Total of France, BP and Royal Dutch Shell have said that effort is a nonstarter due to their US shareholdings and dependency on Wall Street for financing projects. No one, it seems, wants to challenge Trump when it comes to Iran. He has declared that those who do not comply with the US sanctions regime will face "severe consequences." The same, unfortunately for the US President, could be said for the price of oil as well, with many expecting $100 a barrel by the close of 2018. DAYTON, Ohio (AP) An Ohio man driving home from work Tuesday says he did a double-take before firing up his cellphone to record a cow poking her head out the back window of a pickup truck. WKEF-TV reports the video posted by Tipp Citys JD Blair on Facebook has gone viral with more than 200,000 shares and nearly 8 million views. The pickup trucks driver, Cory Morris, of Ludlow Falls, says 18-month-old Annie has been part of his life since her mother rejected her at birth. He says the 800-pound (363-kilogram) Annie regularly climbs into the back seat of his truck. Morris says when people ask about Annies road tripping habits, he replies, Where else would I put her? People can follow Annies life and adventures on her new Facebook page . ___ Information from: WKEF-TV, http://abc22now.com/ Despite the turbulent, bitter fight surrounding his nomination, my fervent hope is that Brett Kavanaugh will work to lessen the divisions in the Supreme Court so that we have far fewer 5-4 decisions and so that public confidence in our Judiciary and our highest court is restored, she said. Mr. President, I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. The full vote will now be held sometime Saturday and, barring a drastic and unforeseeable twist, elevate Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It will conclude a particularly contentious period in American politics, even by rancorous modern standards. Kavanaughs public hearings began on Sept. 4. Then the focus was on jurisprudence, with Democrats questioning him on his positions regarding abortion rights, executive power, civil liberties and national security, and his how own religious convictions shape his legal thinking. JACKSON COUNTY, Fla. (WTXL) - A 70-year-old woman was killed in a two-car accident in Jackson County. Linda McKinney, a passenger in a Dodge Caravan, died at Southeast Health as a result of her injuries sustained in the crash. According to Florida Highway Patrol, the accident happened at about 6:17 p.m. Friday on U.S. Highway 231 and Dionne Road. FHP said the Dodge Caravan was making a left turn in front of oncoming traffic, when a Honda Accord was unable to avoid a collision. FHP stated both cars hit each other on a paved driveway on the shoulder of the road. The driver of the Dodge Caravan was not injured in the accident and a 17-year-old from Marianna, who was driving the Honda Accord, was also not injured in the accident. The crash is currently under investigation by FHP and charges are pending. BONIFAY, Fla. (WTXL) - A Florida police officer has been arrested after he was found to be selling opioid tablets out of his marked patrol car. Bonifay Police Officer, Dwayne White, 48, was arrested by Florida Department of Law Enforcement Agents Friday night. FDLE began its investigation in Sept. at the request of the Holmes County Sheriff's Office. HCSO received information that White was selling prescription opioid tablets. Earlier this month, FDLE agents made a controlled purchase of opioid tablets from White. At the time of the purchase, FDLE said White was selling the drugs out of his marked patrol vehicle, while in uniform, and was using his personal cell phone to facilitate the drug deals. White is being charged with selling a controlled substance within 1000 feet of an assisted living facility and unlawful use of a two-way communication device. He was taken to the Walton County Jail. The Office of the State Attorney, 14th Judicial Circuit is prosecuting this case. The Holmes County Sheriffs Office and Bonifay Police Department are helping with the investigation. TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - It looks like a beloved Southside restaurant will continue to serve its faithful customers. Oleans Cafe, a Tallahassee staple for 20 years had reportedly been facing foreclosure. When we arrived at the restaurant on South Adams Street Friday, the line was out the door, no doubt a testament to the soul kitchen's great food and popularity. When asked about the foreclosure, Johnny McCaskill, who is co-owner of the restaurant with his wife Olean, assured us that "everything has been handled and we are not facing foreclosure." Johnny referred us to Timothy Traenor, a trial attorney with the small business administration in Washington DC, who has been working with the McCaskills to reach a resolution to the problem. "We have reached an agreement, in principle, with Mr. McCaskill, we will hold the foreclosure action," said Traenor. As long as they are compliant with the new agreement, the people of Tallahassee can continue to eat well. | 2018-10-06 00:26:31|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close by Dana Halawi BEIRUT, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Winemaking industry is rapidly growing in Lebanon. Years ago, there were only a few well-known wineries in the country. But things have tremendously changed nowadays with Lebanese wine filling many glasses locally and globally. Vinifest 2018, an annual four-day wine exhibition, is a clear indication on the development of the wineries that have entered the Lebanese market in the past few years. More than 50 exhibit booths filled the center of the horse-racing venue at Beirut Hippodrome. Each represents a thriving winery in Lebanon. However, the industry still faces challenges despite the popularity that the Lebanese wine has gained over the years. "We want the government to impose higher custom fees on imported wine in a bid to protect our local production," Rami Chidiac, managing partner at Byblos Wine, told Xinhua. "You can find French wine for only 2 euros (2.3 U.S. dollars) in the Lebanese market," he said. Marie Therese Moubarak, coordinator at the Lebanese winery Chateau Faqra, said her winery is also suffering from foreign competition. "The government barely imposes custom fees on imported wines. No one is protecting us against foreign competition," she said. Likewise, Ramez Saliba, national sales and marketing manager at Lebanon's Chateau Ksara winery in the Bekaa valley, said foreign wine is the biggest enemy of Lebanese wine. "Foreign wine that comes to Lebanon is not always of good quality. Our wine is much better. Foreign wine with high quality in Lebanon is very expensive," he said. Patricia Gebrayel, representative of Chateau Musar, said some local clients prefer the imported wine only because it is imported even if it is of low quality. For Peter Abi Younes, co-owner of Chateau Wadih, the most challenging problems are "paper work and bureaucracy." "You either have to wait for a long time to get your papers done or pay bribes," he said. A recent study published by Linkedin reveals that Lebanon produces around 7.5 million bottles of wine per year, of which 2.2 million are exported. Most of the wineries interviewed by Xinhua said around 30 percent to 40 percent of their produce are exported to countries including the United States, Britain and other European countries. They are also planning to enter the Chinese market soon. "Lebanese wine will reach the Chinese market soon," said Edgar Maalouf, a lawmaker who represented Lebanese caretaker Foreign Minister Gebran Bassil during the opening of Vinifest 2018. Louis Lahoud, director general of Lebanese ministry of agriculture, said Lebanon is coordinating with its embassy in China to promote the Lebanese wine there through exhibitions. However, some wine producers have concerns about their wine export to China. "It is not easy to enter the Chinese market. We need distributors there because it is a huge market," said Mubarak of Chateau Faqra. The government should help Lebanese wine producers in promoting their products in China and other countries, she said. "What is also hard in China is the different language. We have to change our bottles' labels from English and French to Chinese," the Faqra coordinator added. | 2018-10-06 00:59:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least nine people were killed and five others injured Friday after a mini-bus they were travelling in skidded off mountainous road and fell into a gorge in northern Indian state of Uttarakhand, officials said. The accident took place near Maneri town in Uttarkashi district, about 158 km north of Dehradun, the capital city of Uttarakhand. "This evening in a tragic road accident, a tempo traveller (mini-bus) carrying Hindu pilgrims skidded off the road on Gangotri highway and fell into deep gorge here," a police official posted in Uttarkashi said. According to police, the passengers in the ill-fated vehicle were returning after offering prayers at the Himalayan shrine of Gangotri. Following the accident, locals informed police, who along with disaster response force personnel, rushed to the spot to carry rescue work of removing the injured to the hospital and retrieving bodies from the gorge. Disaster management officials said the victims were identified as residents of western Gujarat state. The cause of accident was not immediately known. Deadly road accidents are common in India, often caused by overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Officials say on an average, over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents. | 2018-10-06 01:18:34|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close GENEVA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The latest Europe-wide figures confirm Switzerland's reputation as a country of trains, with average trips and kilometers covered by each inhabitant far higher than elsewhere, an organization monitoring travel said Friday. "In Switzerland, each person travels an average of 72 times a year by train and 2,463 kilometers are covered," said Litra, the Swiss information service for public transport. Litra cited the latest Eurostat figures for 16 countries noting that they leave the Alpine nation far ahead of other countries in Europe, with Austria (1,425 km) and France (1,354 km) logging the next-largest distances. Luxembourg (38) and Denmark (37) are the next most frequent. At the bottom end of the scale, Irish travelers take the train just nine times annually for a total of 416 kilometers. The survey does not, however, include every European nation as for example Belgium and The Netherlands keep their figures confidential. The figures represent an increase on the 2015 statistics, with each Swiss citizen traveling 13 times more, and 186 kilometers further than that year. Switzerland is regularly commended for the quality and punctuality of its rail network, but the increasing demand has also increased problems. Absorbing the influx of passengers on an already dense network is expected to be difficult in coming decades, says Litra. Globally, Japan has traditionally been the only challenger to Switzerland's rail usage, though statistics from the Asian nation have not been included in this study, reported Swissinfo, the website of the Swiss national broadcaster. Palestinian protesters run to take cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes on the Gaza-Israel border, east of the southern Gaza Strip City of Khan Younis, on Oct. 5, 2018.(Xinhua/Khaled Omar) GAZA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- At least two Palestinians killed and more than 370 wounded on Friday afternoon in clashes between thousands of Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza Strip, medics said. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of Gaza Health Ministry, told reporters that two Palestinians, including a child, were killed by Israeli soldiers' gunfire in eastern Gaza City, close to the border with Israel. Al-Qedra said that the identity of the two is still unknown, adding that their bodies arrived on Friday evening at Shiffa Hospital in Gaza City after they were shot dead in their heads. He said that more than 370 wounded Friday during clashes, including two paramedics and two journalists, and 64 were hospitalized. The clashes on Friday broke out when thousands of Palestinians joined the 28th Great March of Return, defying the Israeli blockade which has been imposed on the Gaza Strip for around 12 years. The demonstrators gathered before the fence of the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel, burning tires, waving Palestinian flags, and throwing stones at the Israeli soldiers stationed on the border with the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition at the crowds of the protesters. The demonstrators also cut parts of the barbed wire of the fence of the border, where some of them managed to infiltrate into Israel. They burned tires and returned to Gaza. Several masked activists released dozens of arson balloons during the protests, which landed into Israel and caused large fires to various farms and natural resorts, according to Israeli media reports. Al-Qedra said that since the outbreak of the Great March of Return on March 30, the Israeli army has shot dead 197 Palestinians and wounded more than 21,000 others. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 06:10:23|Editor: Chengcheng Video Player Close BUENOS AIRES, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- American Olympic swimming legend Donna de Varona, 71, has called for greater gender equality in sport, saying that discrimination still exists despite greater awareness of women's rights. De Varona, who had won the first of her three gold medals as a 13-year-old at the Rome 1960 Games, told the official Youth Olympics website that men still dominate the most important roles within international federations and the media. "We have to refer to women in a different way, elevate them when we're covering men's sport and put more women on prime-time television," De Varona said. "We need more women announcers and more women in executive positions," she added. De Varona is currently in Buenos Aries, where she is working with trainees in the International Olympic Committee's young reporters program. The initiative coincides with the Youth Summer Olympics, which begin in the Argentine capital on Saturday. De Varona said she had suffered prejudice all her life, having quit swimming as a teenager to earn a living as TV commentator. "I thought that if I become a journalist then some day I can talk about how unfair it is - male athletes getting more than women. I am going to try to make a difference," said De Varona. She said that many of her male colleagues resented her being in the press room despite her Olympic achievements and tireless work ethic. "I had to hustle harder and faster than anybody else. I would have to work at Thanksgiving, Christmas and every holiday because in order to gain respect from my producers and co-workers I had to pay my dues," she said. "I would have to carry coffee, get up early in the morning, do anything I possibly could to get respect. And in some ways I never did." Despite recognizing that there have been improvements in recent years, De Varona said that gender inequality still exists in sport. According to IOC figures from 2015, only 14 percent of IOC-recognised international federations' executive board members were women. On the final day of competition at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, there were 19 men's gold medal events and only two for women. "We have an old tradition where the people who've been involved with making these decisions have been making these decisions since I was 18, 19, 20 and 30," De Varona said. They are still involved. So in order to really get there, to open up their minds, you need the facts and hopefully these facts can open up their minds so that in 2020 [Tokyo Olympic Games] we don't have only two finals on the last day, we have an equal number." Palestinian protesters run to take cover from tear gas fired by Israeli troops during clashes on the Gaza-Israel border, east of the southern Gaza Strip City of Khan Younis, on Oct. 5, 2018. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar) GAZA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three Palestinians were killed and 376 wounded on Friday in clashes between thousands of Palestinian protesters and Israeli soldiers in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel, medics said. Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesperson of Gaza Health Ministry told reporters that three Palestinians, including a child, were killed by Israeli soldiers' gunfire in eastern Gaza City. A total of 192 of the wounded were hospitalized, including 126 shot by Israeli soldiers' live gunshots, he said. Al-Qedra said that among the casualties, two paramedics and two journalists, including a female, were also injured. Since the outbreak of the clashes called "Great March of Return" on March 30, the Israeli army has shot dead 197 Palestinians and wounded more than 21,000 others, he said. Clashes on Friday broke out when thousands of Palestinians joined the 28th Friday of the event. Demonstrators gathered before the fence of the border between eastern Gaza Strip and Israel. They burned tires, waved Palestinian flags, and threw stones at the Israeli soldiers stationed on the border with the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that the soldiers fired tear gas, rubber bullets and live ammunition at the crowds of the protesters who were calling for ending the Israeli blockade. The demonstrators also cut parts of the barbed wire of the fence of the border, where some of them managed to infiltrate into Israel. They burned tires and returned to Gaza. Several masked activists released dozens of arson balloons during the protests, which landed into Israel and caused large fires to various farms and natural resorts, according to Israeli media reports. Security officials and an Israeli army statement said that Israeli army drones fired two missiles at Palestinians who cut the barbed wire of the fence of the border and threw homemade hand grenades at the soldiers, no injuries reported. Khaled al-Batsh, a senior Islamic Jihad movement leader, told reporters in eastern Gaza that the Palestinians will carry on the rallies "until we achieve victory and reach our goals." Meanwhile, Hamas movement's spokesperson in Gaza, Hazem Qassem, also said that the practical response to the Israeli threats to end the Great March of Return is "an endless and largest popular participation." Efforts sponsored by Egypt and the UN to reach calm between Israel and Hamas-led factions had so far achieved no progress. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 22:50:53|Editor: Liu Video Player Close File photo shows the National Exhibition and Convention Center, the venue of the 2018 China International Import Expo (CIIE), in Shanghai, east China. (Xinhua) SHANGHAI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- As China International Import Expo (CIIE) is only a month away, Shanghai, host of the event, has reached the final stage of its preparations, while products from all over the world have been arriving in the city. The CIIE is China's first expo event that is expected to give firm support to trade liberalization and economic globalization, and actively open the Chinese market to the world, according to its official website. A total of 2,800 companies from all the G20 member states, as well as 50 countries and regions along the Belt and Road will participate in the expo. Of the world's 44 least developed countries, more than 30 will be present at the event. Shanghai has been holding rehearsals, improving city infrastructure and training volunteers to meet needs of the approaching event. At the National Exhibition and Convention Center, where CIIE will be held, the event organizer held a comprehensive rehearsal on Thursday covering various scenarios. Shanghai municipal government has been renovating the roads around the convention center, and developed cellphone applications to better guide traffic around the area. The city has also added eight bus routes and prepared 100 spare buses. Light decorations have been added to the 20km-long banks of the city's signature Huangpu River, as well as four bridges that span across it. Hundreds of thousands of pots of flowers are dotted across Shanghai. The city has trained 5,000 volunteers who will offer various services including language translations. As the event is drawing near, goods from foreign exhibitors have arrived at local customs. Shanghai has opened green channels for the products, significantly cutting the time needed for them to be unloaded and stored in local warehouses. So far, it is estimated that products from more than 1,500 exhibitors have arrived in the Chinese mainland, while that from another 1,000 have been or are being shipped. Chinese companies are eyeing great potential in boosting imports through the event. "During the CIIE, we expect to import at least 1,000 kinds of products and services that have not been sold in the domestic market," said Wang Zhe, Party head of China's commercial giant Suning Holdings Group, "In the next three years, we plan to import goods worth 10 billion Euros (around 11.5 billion U.S. dollars). Liang Feng, president of state-owned China National Machine Tool Sales and Technical Service Corporation, said CIIE will witness eight leading companies in the machine tool industry launch a dozen of new products in China for the first time. More than 100 new products and technologies are expected to make debut at the expo, according to statistics from the organizers. Forty-three African countries have confirmed to participate in the expo. About 190 enterprises from Africa will promote local products such as Egyptian data palm, ethiopian coffee, and Amarula from South Africa, at the event, according to the organizers. "The CIIE shows China's changing trade strategy and its resolve to fulfill its responsibility as a major country and achieve mutual benefits and win-win cooperation with all nations," said Zhao Beiwen, deputy head of the World Economy Institute under the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 23:27:37|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Saturday spoke highly of the friendly relations between the DPRK and China on the 69th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries. China and the DPRK established diplomatic relations on Oct. 6, 1949, and it is a meaningful day for both the DPRK people and the Chinese people, said the official Rodong Sinmun. The official daily of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea said in a commentary that the establishment of diplomatic ties served as an epochal occasion to develop the friendly relations between the two peoples. Created and nurtured by the older generations of leaders of both countries, the DPRK-China friendship is the valuable treasure of the two peoples, the newspaper said, adding that the friendship has been developed and strengthened through generations without wavering in any trials and storms. By analogy to a deep-rooted tree that could brave any weather, the traditional friendship between the DPRK and Chinese peoples was hailed by the newspaper as "impregnable." It is an unshakable stand of the party and government of the DPRK to boost the traditional DPRK-China relations of friendship as required by the era, the newspaper said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 23:35:18|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close TRIPOLI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The UN Support Mission in Libya (UNSMIL) on Saturday praised the new security arrangements in the Libyan capital Tripoli adopted by the UN-backed government. "UNSMIL welcomes the progress made by the Greater Tripoli Security Arrangements Committee, created by PC (Presidency Council) Decree 1303 & supported by UN," the UN mission said in a statement. The finalized plan, submitted by UN-backed Libyan Prime Minister Fayez Sarraj, stipulates "the withdrawal of armed groups from sovereign institutions" to be replaced by regular forces, according to the statement. The Libyan Ministry of Interior announced on Thursday that the armed group al-Nawasi handed over Tripoli's seaport to the government as part of the new security arrangements. The new security arrangements, which focus on forming joint police and army forces to secure Tripoli, were adopted by the government last month when violence broke out in the capital city between the government forces and several armed groups. The fighting lasted almost a month, killing and injuring hundreds of people, and forced many families to flee their homes. On Sept. 12, UN Special Envoy to Libya Ghassan Salame announced the start of the implementation of the new security arrangements. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 07:58:12|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close RABAT, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Morocco and Benin inked a Memorandum of Understanding on housing and urban planning on Friday. The agreement was signed by Moroccan Minister of Urban Development, Housing and Urban Policy Abdelahad Fassi Fihri and Jose Tonato, Benin's minister of Living Environment and Sustainable Development, aiming to promote bilateral exchange of housing and urban planning in three years. Speaking at the signing ceremony in Rabat, capital of Morocco, Fassi Fihri stressed that the signing of this memorandum will allow the two countries to benefit from each other's experiences in handling the issues of accelerated urbanization. For his part, Tonato expressed his country's willingness to benefit from Morocco's experience in territorial policies. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 08:01:27|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MOGADISHU, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The UN migration agency said on Friday that it has helped 17 Somali migrants to voluntarily return home from Tanzania following months of confinement in detention centers. The International Organization for Migration (IOM) said the returnees who returned home on Wednesday were rounded up by Tanzanian authorities as they embarked on an unsuccessful journey to South Africa. "This assistance was provided in close coordination with the governments of Somalia and Tanzania and will enable the Somali returnees to build a future back home," the IOM said in a statement. It said the assistance includes medical check-ups, housing, group and psychosocial counseling, along with longer-term support towards developing job skills and starting up small businesses to have gainful employment and decent livelihoods. The UN agency said the latest intervention was made under the auspices of the EU-IOM Joint Initiative for Migrant Protection and Reintegration in the Horn of Africa "The latest return will bring the number of Somalis assisted by IOM under the EU-IOM Joint Initiative to 82 since March 2017," said the UN migration agency. According to IOM, the Joint Initiative aims to assist at least 1,000 Somali returnees before March 2020, noting that the project has been set up in close cooperation with a total of 26 African countries. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 08:10:57|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BERLIN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- A widely-publicized dispute in Germany over the future of the Hambach forest in North Rhine-Westphalia has taken a surprising turn on Friday after the Muenster Higher Administrative Court ordered a temporary halt to the felling plans by energy company RWE. The court approved an emergency appeal filed by the Friends of the Earth Germany (BUND) environmental group to stall the scheduled felling of 100 hectares of woodlands from October onwards which could cause "irreversible damage" to local biodiversity. BUND argued that the presence of an endangered species of bats in Hambach meant that the forest fulfilled the regulatory criteria of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) in the European Union (EU) and hence required protection from the coal-mining activities of RWE. The Hambach forest forms part of a property owned by German energy giant RWE which comprises the world's largest open pit brown coal mine. An illegal treehouse settlement inhabited by environmental activists on the site for several years has become a well-known symbol for grassroots resistance against coal power generation and deforestation across Europe. At least 4,000 protestors recently assembled for a demonstration in the forest prior to its now-concluded clearance in a major police operation. The federal government in Germany plans to phase out the country's coal power generation at a still undefined date in order to reduce its carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions. The "Growth, Structural change and Employment" commission established by Berlin towards this end is scheduled to present a plan by the end of October on how to manage and finance structural change in the affected regions. At least for the time being, the Muenster Higher Administrative Court ruled that RWE can continue operating the open pit mine as long as none of the nearby forest areas are impaired by the activity. The judges noted that the legal questions raised by the case were too complex to be resolved within an emergency appeal process and hence required closer scrutiny. RWE already obtained official approval for felling the Hambach forest long before police started removing activists and their makeshift dwellings from the site. The Essen-based company has repeatedly argued that the felling is necessary to ensure the security of energy supply generated from coal power. However, the Muenster court rejected this line of argumentation on Friday on the grounds that RWE had not provided sufficient evidence to support its claim that energy regional- or even nation-wide energy supply was at risk. The temporary halt of the felling was welcomed enthusiastically by BUND on Friday. "This is a great success of our long-standing legal efforts and really marks a turning point here in North Rhine-Westphalia", BUND spokesman Dirk Jansen told press. Jansen also announced that his organization was still pursuing plans to hold a further demonstration in Hambach on Saturday in spite of a formal police ban on the assembly. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 08:14:20|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BAKU, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Azerbaijan's Defense Ministry denied Russia's allegations that the U.S. Pentagon-controlled bio labs function in the country, Interfax-Azerbaijan agency reported. Head of the Russian military's radiation, chemical and biological protection troops Maj. Gen. Igor Kirillov earlier alleged that the United States operates more than 30 labs with a high level of biological protection in the Russian neighborhood. "The laboratory buildings continue to be upgraded in Ukraine, Azerbaijan and Uzbekistan," he said. The Defense Ministry refuted the claims, saying that there are no labs controlled by other states in the territory of Azerbaijan. "So their upgrade is out of the question," the ministry added. Speaking at a news briefing on Thursday, Maj. Gen. Kirillov stated that the choice of locations of the Pentagon's secret bio facilities is not accidental. "Many of them are in countries neighboring Russia and China, being a permanent source of biological threats to our countries," he said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 08:03:34|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close OSLO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Japanese car producer Toyota recalled more than 14,000 hybrid cars in Norway after revealing technical mistakes that could lead to car accidents, public broadcaster NRK reported Friday. A total of more than 2.4 million Toyota hybrid cars have been recalled worldwide, the report said. In Norway, this applies to the hybrids Prius and Auris that were produced between October 2008 and November 2014, as well as Prius+ 7. Toyota discovered that the failure could in rare cases lead to failure of the electronic systems and the cars could then lose engine power and stop. Although steering and braking systems will continue to work, at high speed such a failure could increase the dangers of a collision. "There have been no accidents in Norway after the error has been detected. I have just heard of some cases in the United States where cars had stopped. We are now contacting the Norwegian car owners to inform them about the situation," said Espen Olsen, information manager of Toyota Norway. This also affects 1.25 million cars sold in Japan, 830,000 cars sold in North America, and 290,000 cars sold in Europe. The cars sold in Africa, Oceania and other regions are affected as well. This piece of news was announced only one month after Toyota recalled over 1 million hybrid cars worldwide after revealing a technical issue that could lead to fire, NRK wrote. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 08:25:40|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BANGKOK, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Thailand's Wildlife and Plants Protection Division on Friday announced that Thailand has been removed from an international watch list of eight countries of primary concern in the illegal ivory trade. The decision was made at the 70th meeting of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) standing committee that was held from October 1 to 5 in Russia. Somkiat Sunthornpitakkul, director-general of the Department of National Parks, Wildlife and Plants Conservation's Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora Division, said that Thailand's success was the result of the governments effort in implementing strict measures in preventing and suppressing African ivory smuggling into Thailand. Thailand was one of eight nations that CITES marked as a source, transit or destination country of illegally traded ivory. Somkiat said the standing committee of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) at the meeting in Sochi, Russia during October 1-5 agreed to delete Thailand from CITES National Ivory Action Plan (NIAP) after the panel was satisfied with Thailands efforts to crack down on the illegal trade of ivory tusks. In 2017, Thai customs officials seized 16,730 items of ivory products weighing about 75 kg worth about 7.5 million baht.(1 U.S. dollar = 32.78 Thai Baht) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 09:15:41|Editor: Lu Hui Video Player Close The China-Europe freight train from Tangshan City in north China arrives in Antwerp of Belgium May 12, 2018. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan) by Tian Dongdong BRUSSELS, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Coinciding with the 5th anniversary of the China-proposed Belt and Road (B&R) Initiative, the European Union (EU) recently adopted a document outlining the bloc's vision for a new and comprehensive strategy to better connect Europe and Asia. Dubbed as the EU version of Belt and Road, the new strategy prompts both cheers and jitters across the continent. Some believe that it is a perfect match for the China-proposed trans-continental initiative, while others say the two grand plans are natural rivals. COUNTERING BELT & ROAD? Following the Joint Communication by the European Commission (EC) and the High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy that sets out the EU vision, the EU's executive arm issued a statement on Sept. 19 saying that "with sustainable, comprehensive and rules-based connectivity at its core, the Communication will help to guide the EU's external action in this field and is a part of the implementation of its Global Strategy." Why has the EU released the Joint Communication at this moment? It is "increasingly urgent for the EU to formulate its policy on Euro-Asian connectivity" as a connected Asia offers increasing opportunities for investment and in some other fields. Some media organizations, like the Financial Times, said the strategy is "an answer" or "a counter" to the B&R Initiative. But for Alicia Garcia-Herrero, senior fellow of the Brussels-based think tank Bruegel, the strategy "is long in the making. It is not a new plan." Commenting on those reports, Garcia-Herrero, who is also the chief economist for Asia Pacific at Paris-based investment bank Natixis, told Xinhua that "the EU has had such connectivity plans for many years." In another statement released on the same day after the Joint Communication, the EU clearly said that "the European Union and China share an interest in making sure that our respective initiatives work well together, despite the differences in approach and implementation." "Connectivity is not possible if systems and networks are not interoperable. As we have already been doing, the European Union will continue to engage with China -- in our bilateral Connectivity Platform, in the wider bilateral relationship, and in multilateral fora -- to create synergies and to find commonalities," said the statement. COOPERATION OVER COMPETITION China put forward the B&R Initiative in 2013 with the aim to promote trade and infrastructure connectivity along the ancient Silk Road routes linking Asia with Europe. China has said its potential cooperation partners are welcome to dovetail their own development initiatives with the grand development plan. Massimo Bagnasco, vice president of the European Union Chamber of Commerce in China, expects that there will be more cooperation than competition between the EU's new connectivity plan with the B&R Initiative. "In principle competition is always useful because with competition you can have a better service or a better product to the final user. In this case I believe that competition is important in joint cooperation." "I am not saying that for each project we could have a joint cooperation but at least we should have the attitude in the approach to let these two initiatives have some common ground for cooperation," he noted. "Basically the point from the European Commission (for the strategy) is to have a tool that could be used for cooperation with China in the topic of connectivity," said Bagnasco. Bagnasco, who has been doing business in China for over 15 years, told Xinhua that the European side is both confused yet has high expectations regarding the B&R Initiative and that calls for "more dialogue, communication and engagement to find a common ground for cooperation between the Belt and Road and the (EU's) connectivity platform." OPEN ARMS Shortly after the unveiling of the EU strategy, China welcomed it with open arms. "We expect that the European Union will play a constructive role in improving connectivity between Europe and Asia, send a positive signal to the world to promote economic cooperation among all countries on the two continents and build an open world economy," said Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang. "China always supports the push for enhancing connectivity between the Asian and European continents, which is also a major goal of the Belt and Road Initiative," Geng said. "We believe that with the joint efforts of China and Europe, connectivity between Asia and Europe is sure to continue forging ahead, bringing more benefits to people in all countries across the region," said the spokesperson. To create synergy between the two connectivity plans, Garcia-Herrero believes that the EU and China would need to share. "They should not compete for projects but actually agree on jointly financing a project. That makes sense for both," she added. Echoing Garcia-Herrero, Bagnasco noted that China could be a potential partner to facilitate the financing for the EU's newly released strategy. Though the private sector in Europe "is always very active and ready to take action as soon as they see opportunities which are reasonable, with a solid business plan and transparent conditions, there may be more difficulty from the public sector," said Bagnasco. "I mean actually we will have some technicalities that may slightly slow down the speed of the (implementing) process," said the business leader, who eyes more cooperation on finance between China and the EU. By putting together the strengths of Europe and China, better results could be achieved, he told Xinhua. "I don't think that the two are antagonistic, or zero-sum," said Ruan Zongze, executive vice president and senior fellow at China Institute of International Studies. "This is not a black and white issue. The two can work with each other and get their own," Ruan said. "Healthy competition is not bad for us." (Video editors: Liu Ruoshi, Li Jingchen) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 10:11:58|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close BARCELONA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Italy and Austria shared the top spot in the first round of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final 2018 here on Friday night. The Austrians and Italians collected just a single time fault each. And with just four faults apiece, Sweden, Belgium and the defending champions the Netherlands have also made the cut along with the Irish who picked up five faults. But it came down to the combined times of team riders to separate the Swiss, French, Germans and Americans when they all completed with eight faults on the board. When the calculations were done, Switzerland and France finally reached Sunday afternoon's second and deciding round which features the world's top eight teams at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, which also hosted the equestrian competition during the 1992 Barcelona Olympic Games. The Germans and Americans will join Canada, Britain, Brazil, the UAE and host nation of Spain in Saturday night's Challenge Cup. "We won already," said Austrian team manager Marcus Wallishauser. "For us to be in the final is already perfect - now we just need to focus like we did today and let's see what we can do." Italian anchorman Lorenzo de Luca said, "There's still a big day ahead - Sunday is going to be huge." He picked up four faults with Ensor de Litrange but was under absolutely no pressure when he was last to go as team-mates Luca Marziani (Tokyo du Soleil) and Riccardo Pisani (Chaclot) had both jumped clear while Bruno Chimirri (Tower Mouche) clocked up just a single time fault. So that was all they would have to put on the board when the best three scores were taken into account. "It was a very good night for Italy, my team all jumped great so I didn't have to jump but I decided to bring my horse in to let him see the fences. We are going to celebrate tonight but we will still be focused for Sunday, I promise you," de Luca added. The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup is equestrian sport's oldest and most prestigious team challenge, with teams from around the world competing for one of the most coveted prizes in the Olympic discipline. Celebrating 109 years of team competition in 2018, this year's series is set to be incredible with jumping teams competing from 14 countries and regions across Europe, the Middle East and the Americas. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 10:19:00|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close PHNOM PENH, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen embarked on a two-nation tour to Japan and Indonesia on Saturday morning, a senior official said. In the first leg of his four-day visit, Hun Sen will first visit Tokyo on Saturday evening, where he will attend the 10th Mekong-Japan Summit and hold bilateral talks with his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe, said Sry Thamarong, a minister attached to the prime minister. On Oct. 10, Hun Sen will leave Tokyo for Bali, Indonesia, where he and other leaders of member countries of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) will join a high-level ASEAN meeting on Oct. 11 ahead of the International Monetary Fund(IMF)-World Bank(WB) annual meetings to be held on Oct. 12-14, he said. "The ASEAN leaders' gathering is to show the bloc's potential and future concept," Thamarong said, adding that the ASEAN leaders will attend the opening ceremony of the IMF-WB annual meetings on Oct. 12 in the morning. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 11:24:48|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close HAVANA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Cuba's National Assembly of People's Power (ANPP) urged the U.S. Congress on Friday to put an end to the economic and financial blockade against the island nation. In a public hearing, Cuba's highest legislative body condemned the economic embargo imposed by Washington on the country almost six decades ago. "We invite the U.S. Congress to listen to the opinions of the majority in broad sectors of its society, who are advocating an end to the blockade, and thereby finish off this obsolete policy against Cuba," said Yolanda Ferrer, president of the ANPP international relations commission. The ANPP also invited other countries to "reinforce the international demand" to eliminate this "harmful policy" that contravenes the rights of Cubans and other states. "We call on parliamentarians from all nations to speak up, encourage and support their respective foreign ministries in support of Cuba's draft resolution at the UN to end the U.S. economic, commercial and financial blockade," added the lawmaker. In recent days, several public hearings have been held all over the island nation by different sectors of the country to reject the U.S. embargo and expose the damage caused by this policy in different spheres. On Oct. 31, Havana will present for the 27th time before the UN General Assembly a non-binding resolution condemning the unilateral policy. Year after year, Cuba receives overwhelming support from the international community. In 2017, only the United States and Israel opposed the Cuban initiative, while 191 countries condemned Washington's policy towards Cuba. However, the United States is not obliged to comply with the UN mandate and claims the blockade is a bilateral issue with Cuba which should be resolved between the two nations. In its annual report to the United Nations, Havana indicated that economic losses caused by the U.S. blockade, which has been reinforced during Donald Trump's administration, totaled over 4.3 billion U.S. dollars between April 2017 and March 2018. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 11:25:50|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MINSK, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko highlighted the importance of creating new types of Belarus-made weapons and modernizing the existing military equipment, the presidential press service said Friday. Visiting the training ground in the Brest region in the southwestern corner of Belarus, Lukashenko said that in recent years, Belarus had to modernize and adapt its armed forces to modern conditions several times, taking into account the experience of wars and local conflicts in the world, as well as the development of technical means. He said it is the fourth attempt to upgrade the Belarusian armed forces. According to Lukashenko, Belarus first cut its armed forces to about 100,000 people and stopped the sale of the remaining weapons from the USSR, the former Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. Then, Belarus launched research groups to study modern warfare. At the third stage, Belarus set up special operational forces. In light of the current situation, one task is to proceed with the development of new types of weapons necessary for the defense of Belarus, the president said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 11:38:39|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Three Chinese nationals were killed Thursday in the southwestern Central African Republic (CAR), the Chinese Embassy in the CAR confirmed Friday. A boat carrying four Chinese and a local young man capsized Thursday in the town of Sosso-Nakombo, causing the disappearance of the Central African. The surviving Chinese then went to a gendarmerie brigade to report the incident. At this moment, bandits, who were informed of the disappearance of their compatriot, came to attack the Chinese, killing three of them and seriously wounding the fourth one. The gendarmerie brigade was also attacked and ransacked. On Friday, Chinese Ambassador to the CAR Chen Dong had a telephone conversation with the country's President Faustin-Archange Touadera, and met with Prime Minister Simplice-Mathieu Sarandji and Minister of the Interior in charge of public security Henri Wanzet Linguissara. The Chinese ambassador called on the CAR authorities to do everything necessary to find and punish the criminals, as well as to ensure the safety and other legitimate rights and interests of Chinese nationals in the CAR. Touadera and Sarandji condemned the brutality of the perpetrators, and expressed their condolences to the families of the victims and to the people and the government of China. Reinforcements have been deployed to the locality of the tragedy. The bodies of the three victims and the person who was seriously injured were sent to the capital Bangui, where the injured are currently under intensive medical care. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 11:46:57|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close KATHMANDU, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- A Myanmar delegation led by chairman of the Joint Monitoring Committee at Union level (JMC-U) has arrived in Nepal to study about the Himalayan country's peace process, a foreign ministry press statement on Friday said. The delegation led by Lt. General Yar Pyae held an interaction with Nepali Foreign Minister Pradeep Kumar Gyawali on the four major aspects and modality of Nepal's home-grown peace process that started in 2007 following the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Accord between the government and the then rebel. Nepal witnessed a 10-year-long armed conflict between the Maoists and the state since 1996, in which over 13,000 individuals were killed and thousands displaced and disappeared. The minister assured the Myanmar delegation that Nepal was ready to provide any help they may need in their efforts to bring lasting peace in their country, according to the statement. "The members of the delegation expressed their interest to take Nepal's peace process as a reference in the ongoing peace process of Myanmar," the ministry stated. The Myanmar delegation includes Lt. General Ye Aung, minister of Border Affairs and members of JMC-U representing major stakeholders from government, civil society and armed groups. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 11:49:28|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- A cold front will chill most parts of north China on Saturday, the country's national observatory said Saturday. Most parts of Inner Mongolia, northeast and northwest China will see strong winds and temperatures 4 to 8 degrees Celsius lower than Friday, the National Meteorological Center (NMC) said. Temperatures in some parts of Inner Mongolia and northeast China will decrease by up to 10 degrees Celsius, the NMC forecast. The northeastern part of Inner Mongolia and northwest Heilongjiang will be hit by light to moderate snow or sleet, said the NMC. The observatory also renewed a blue alert for Typhoon Kong-rey, this year's 25th typhoon, on Saturday morning. The eye of Kong-rey, which was located over the ocean in the Korea Strait as of 5 a.m., is expected to unleash gales in northeast China. Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights Issues Report on Christian Persecution in Syria The St. Odisho Assyrian Church in Tel Tal, Syria, was bombed by ISIS. (AINA) -- The Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights has released a report titled The Good Shepherd - A Report on Brutality Against Christian Clerics in Syria. The report documents the suffering of Christians in Syria, who over the course of seven years have been the innocent victims of a conflict that became a proxy war for global and regional powers. The report focuses on crimes and acts of brutality against Christian clerics from all Christians denominations in Syria, acts which were committed by unidentified persons. The reports aims to shed light on these crimes that target the core existence of Christians in the region. In his introduction to the report, Jamil Elias Diarbakerli, Executive Director of the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights, elaborates on the history of the Christianity in Syria and its role and contribution in building Syria's culture and society. The heritage goes back to the "first civilizations of Assyria, Babylonia" he writes. At the beginning of the 20th century, according to the report, Syrian Christians comprised 30 percent of the Syrian population. But their numbers have dropped for most of the century, caused by a variety of factors, including emmigration for political, economic, social and religious reasons, as well as a low birth rates. The current population of Christians in Syria is half a million. In 2010, according to semiofficial statistics, Christians were eight to ten percent of the total population of about 25 million. In context of the outbreak of popular protests in Syria, Diarbakerli sees the cards in the Christian collective consciousness reshuffled. "On the one hand, the relative stability that revived their community was threatened," he says, "but on the other hand the fall of the regime that prohibited them from exercising their political and constitutional rights was not something that was of no consequence. The Syrian Christians were perched uncertainly between the two ends of this ambiguous duality, hesitant to respond to the question of the revolution, which turned into an ordeal and a dilemma that was difficult to deal with." As a consequence of this existential uncertainty, Diarbakerli sees the Christians divided into three groups. The first are supporters of the regime, which constitute the "majority in the Christian streets." A second group that officially and openly stands with the Syrian opposition, though a minority. The overwhelming majority of Syrian Christians constitute a third group that can be called"the silent group." Diarbakerli concludes that Christians "have offered thousands of victims while hundreds of them have been detained, abducted, and forcibly made to disappear. Their churches and monasteries have been destroyed, their shops, factories, homes, and lands have been plundered, and several Christian clerics have been persecuted during the current events." In addition, Syrian cities and villages throughout the country have been abandoned by their Christian inhabitants, such as Raqqa, Deir El-Zor, Ras al-Ayn, Ma'loula, and the Assyrian villages of the Khabur Basin, leaving hundreds of thousands people internally displaced or forced to escape to Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Turkey and elsewhere. The persecutions and acts of brutality against the people profiled in the report are only a portion of what the Christians in Syria have suffered so far. With this report the Assyrian Monitor for Human Rights intends to bring to the attention of the international community the suffering of the Christians who became a specific target. In addition, the report aims to appeal to the international community to end the chaos in Syria, protect the victims of genocide, and preserve what is left of these historic communities before it is too late. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 11:53:25|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close PYONGYANG, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) and South Korea called for a complete end to the danger of war, the official media reported here Saturday. The appeal was issued on Friday at an event held here to celebrate the 11th anniversary of the 2007 inter-Korean summit and released on Saturday by the Korean Central News Agency. Kim Yong Nam, president of the Presidium of the Supreme People's Assembly of the DPRK, and Unification Minister of South Korea Cho Myoung-gyon were present at the ceremony. The two sides called for "a complete end to the danger of a war on this land and turn our land into the peaceful one without nuclear weapons and nuclear threats." They also called for thoroughly carrying out the historic Panmunjom declaration signed at the 2018 inter-Korean summit held in April and the September declaration signed last month by leaders of the two countries. In October 2007, then DPRK leader Kim Jong Il and then South Korean President Roh Moo-hyun held a summit in Pyongyang. Both sides announced a declaration on the development of inter-Korean relations and peace and prosperity. The South Korean delegation led by Cho and Lee Hae-chan, chief of the ruling Democratic Party, arrived in Pyongyang on Thursday. Confiscated elephant tusks to be burnt are seen during the destruction ceremony of confiscated elephant ivory and wildlife parts in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on Oct. 4, 2018. (Xinhua/U Aung) by Fone Ying Kyu YANGON, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Myanmar burnt confiscated ivory and wildlife parts in the capital of Nay Pyi Taw Thursday aiming to combat illegal wildlife trade in the country. The authorities ceremonially destroyed seized wildlife parts, including 277 ivory, 227 elephant and other wildlife bones, 45 pieces of different wildlife skins, 1,544 various horns, 45.5 kg of pangolin scales and 128 varieties of other wildlife parts with total estimated weight of 849.26 kg. The public burning, the first of its kind in Myanmar, sent a clear message that trade in illegal wildlife parts is unacceptable. Noting that poaching and illegal trade of wildlife in Myanmar have been increasing, the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Conservation said in a statement that "the confiscated items of wildlife were destroyed to raise public awareness for law enforcement on illegal trade of wild fauna and flora, for legal action taken against illegal wildlife, trading and poaching and for promoting international cooperation with Myanmar in fighting the illegal trade in wildlife." "It is crucial to sustainably conserve our country's natural resources including land, water, forest, mountain and wildlife for the sake of our future generation. We designate and establish protected areas for biodiversity conservation," said Minister U Ohn Win at the wildlife parts destruction ceremony. Some 42 areas which account for 5.79 percent of the total land of Myanmar, have been designated as protected zones, he added. Confiscated wildlife parts to be burnt are seen during the destruction ceremony of confiscated elephant ivory and wildlife parts in Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar, on Oct. 4, 2018. (Xinhua/U Aung) Under the Conservation of Biodiversity and Protected Areas Law enacted in May, wildlife protection has been classified at three levels -- totally protected, normally protected and seasonally protected species. Elephant, tiger, leopard, gaur, bear, golden deer and pangolin are named as totally protected species. Under the law, one can be sentenced to at least 3 to 10 years in prison with a fine if he or she kills or injures animals on the list of totally protected species, collects or trades their parts. Illegal trade of totally protected fauna and flora will also be punished under the law. About 284 suspects have been arrested in connection with 140 wildlife crime cases since fiscal year 2016-2017. The wildlife crimes mostly occurred in Yangon, Bago and Ayeyarwaddy regions. The national wildlife enforcement task force, formed in 2016, has been implementing an action plan to combat poaching and illegal trade in cooperation with local and international organizations. According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), there exists a big market for illegal wildlife trade in the Golden Triangle area where Myanmar, Laos and Thailand meet and Myanmar has become a trading hub with increasing demand of wildlife products. Meanwhile, Myanmar forest authorities are conducting awareness campaign to stop shops selling wildlife animal souvenirs at pagoda precincts, airports and markets. Myanmar's Wildlife Protection and Protected Areas Law 1994 was revised and enacted on May 21, 2018. Elephant conservationist U Kyaw Myint Tun was selected as the monthly gratitude honor to the people in July by Myanmar State Counselor Aung San Suu Kyi for his actively participating in wild elephant protection and conservation. Joining hands with the authorities in protecting wild elephants from being poached, U Kyaw Myint Tun was awarded the Hero of Elephant Conservation by the WWF and the Friends of Wildlife (FOW). Two poachers were caught in 2016 with arms used to poach wild elephants, and four guns and materials used to kill elephants were seized in 2017 due to his active cooperation with the government. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 12:23:52|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close QUITO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Ecuadorian authorities on Friday signed investment contracts worth about 1.6 billion U.S. dollars with private companies to develop six oil fields in the country's northeastern provinces, local newspaper El Comercio reported. Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno was present at the signing ceremony held in the coastal city of Guayaquil. With four other contracts signed in February, the country has "picked up investments of more than 2.3 billion U.S. dollars in the petroleum sector" this year, Moreno said. According to the president, the country produces some 500,000 barrels of crude oil daily and with the new investment, the output will increase by about 6 percent in the next 15 years. Ecuador is one of the smallest producers in the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries. Oil is the main source of its export earnings. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 12:33:42|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer on Friday called for tolerance and understanding in the upcoming general elections, and promised to maintain dialogue with the new government. "Democracy is the regime of peaceful coexistence, of acceptance and tolerance with differences. Electors choose the ruler and the opposition, whose job is to supervise the winner, according to the rules of the constitutional game," the president said in a speech published on the government's social networks. He advised electors to make the best choice for the country based on their conscience, and highlighted the importance of respecting democracy. "Vote in peace with yourself and others, even if their choice is different from yours," he said. Brazilians are expected to head to the polls on Sunday to choose a new president, 27 state governors, 54 senators, 513 federal representatives and 1,059 state representatives. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 12:38:11|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close MEXICO CITY, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Sales of goods during the upcoming "El Buen Fin" (The Good Weekend) holiday shopping season could grow 5 percent year-on-year, thanks to the good pace of domestic consumption, government and business officials said Friday. Announcing the promotion campaign due to take place on Nov. 16-19, business representatives and the government agreed that sales could reach 97 billion pesos (more than 5.1 billion U.S. dollars). "The (economic) indicators look good, we've been growing for 34 consecutive quarters," said Finance Minister Jose Antonio Gonzalez Anaya. "El Buen Fin" is a government-backed campaign aiming to spur domestic consumption. It has taken place annually since 2011, featuring promotion of goods and services offered by the business sector. Some 60,000 businesses are going to take part in the campaign this year, which is akin to Black Friday in the United States. "There is good enthusiasm because Mexico has economic stability, it has stable variables and there is greater certainty that we can build toward the future," said Juan Pablo Castanon, president of the Business Coordinating Council (CCE). Castanon, who was a member of a group of advisors during the negotiations to upgrade the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA), said now is the time to encourage the development of the domestic market. "El Buen Fin" was created with the objective to move company inventories and strengthen the domestic market as a way to drive the economy, said economic minister and chief NAFTA negotiator Ildefonso Guajardo. "It has become good public policy and the agreement of collaboration (with the businesses) allows us to provide a certain level of certainty for the next decade," Guajardo said. Mexico's economy, the second largest in Latin America after Brazil, could grow 2-2.6 percent this year, according to forecasts by the Central Bank of Mexico (Banxico). In 2017, Mexico's GDP grew 2 percent. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 13:00:50|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's government procurement jumped 24.8 percent year on year to 3.21 trillion yuan (about 467.6 billion U.S. dollars) in 2017, official data showed. The figure is equivalent to 12.2 percent of the country's fiscal expenditures, or 3.9 percent of GDP, according to the Ministry of Finance (MOF). Both percentages rose from a year ago. The growth rate for government procurement in 2016 was 22.1 percent. Procurement of goods, construction and services accounted for 24.9 percent, 47.4 percent and 27.7 percent, respectively. Procurement of services surged 83.1 percent to 890 billion yuan, exceeding procurement of goods for the first time. The government is buying more services not only for its own need but also the public. Government procurement last year continued to prioritize energy-saving and environmentally friendly products and favored small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), said the ministry. In 2017, 77.4 percent of government procurement contracts went to SMEs, said the MOF. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 13:23:26|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close CHANGSHA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- It was a rainy day in early autumn, and Shi Liujin was leading a team carrying a bridal sedan chair. He couldn't have been happier. He was getting married. Shi's home village Shibadong, tucked away in remote mountains in central China's Hunan Province, was once an extremely impoverished village. Its per capita annual net income was just 1,668 yuan (240 U.S. dollars) in 2013, with 136 out of 225 households living below the poverty line. There were more than 30 single men who were over 40 years old then. Non-local girls were reluctant to marry into the poor village. Shi made an oath to find himself a wife three years ago at the village's first ever matchmaking event. He struck a gong while exclaiming "I am a good guy with a kind heart. Anyone who marries me must rest assured!" Unfortunately, he failed. His kindness is widely recognized among his fellow villagers. He dropped out of school and became a migrant worker to support family when his father fell ill 20 years ago. Years passed when his sisters graduated from schools and got married, and the family did better. He was entering his 40s. "I used to see someone. But after visiting the village and my dilapidated home, she backed down," Shi said. The villagers' committee realized poverty reduction could be a shortcut to helping single men start a family. Thanks to a string of targeted poverty alleviation policies, Shibadong has seen tremendous changes since 2014. Muddy mountain passes became asphalt roads. Tap water ran into every household. ATM machines appeared. In 2015, Shi decided to end his unsettled life in the city and returned home to implement his "plans" to shake off his single status. First, he and his family opened a restaurant as an increasing number of tourists came to visit the idyllic village, and became a tourist guide in the village. Then he joined a kiwi fruit cooperative, as the local fruit began to gain popularity in nearby cities. In 2017, a spring water factory went into operation, and he was employed as a technician. By the end of last year, the village's per capita net income climbed to 10,180 yuan. More and more migrant girls chose to go home and get married. More girls from outside married local men. At this year's matchmaking event in February, Shi took the courage to get on stage to introduce his village and himself to the audience. "I'm not only representing myself, but the village as a whole. As life is getting better in Shibadong, I hope to marry a woman soon," he said. His words touched Wu Chunxia, a girl from a nearby village who was working in Shanghai. The two added each other on WeChat, an instant messaging app. Shi invited her to visit Shibadong, and the girl was deeply impressed by Shi's optimism and vigorous development of the village. Before long she decided to return home and make a living with Shi. At the wedding, she received a surprise gift from the spring water factory, which accepted her as a regular employee. Now Shi not only has a wife, but one more co-worker as well. A married life and a blue-collar job, he has achieved both without leaving his home village. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 13:33:53|Editor: Yang Yi Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The seventh China International Copyright Expo will be held from Oct. 19 to 21 in Suzhou, east China's Jiangsu Province, according to the National Copyright Administration of China (NCAC). With the Republic of Korea as the guest of honor, the expo is expected to attract more than 300 companies and organizations from around the world, the NCAC said in a statement. The expo, sponsored by the NCAC and organized by the provincial copyright administration of Jiangsu and the Suzhou city government, will display the latest progress and encourage exchanges in the copyright industry so as to stimulate innovation, promote protection and advance development in the sector, the statement said. The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) and the NCAC will also hold a ceremony during the expo to present the WIPO-NCAC Copyright Awards. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 13:45:33|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close SYDNEY, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Wild deer numbers are jumping in southeast Australia, with many farmers calling on authorities to do more to control what they see as pests threatening livestock and the environment, according to latest local media reports. They physically eat trees and shrubs so they're browsing for food as well, snapping branches off, running through fences, and actually grazing our pastures, livestock farmer Tom Abbottsmith Youl from Victoria state told local reporters. "It's not a game. This is serious business. It's affecting our small business here and it's affecting our native bushland," the ABC news channel quoted Youl, who added that he has had to reduce his livestock numbers by 5 percent to accommodate the impact of deer on his land, as saying on Saturday. Deer, which were introduced into Australia in part for recreational hunting, are still considered game animals that can be hunted under regulations in Australian states such as Victoria, New South Wales and Tasmania but their growing numbers are increasingly fueling calls by farmers to categorize them as pests for better management. Up to 1 million deer are estimated to be in Victoria alone, with reports of sightings rising across the state. "We want deer to be transferred from being a game animal to a feral animal or an introduced species, invasive species, and that then allows different methods of control," Victorian Farmers Federation livestock president Leonard Vallance told ABC. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 13:55:13|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close CANBERRA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Australia's Assistant Treasurer Stuart Robert has promised to pay back thousands of dollars of taxpayer money he claimed for his home internet bills. The Member of Parliament (MP) came under fire on Friday after it was revealed that he charged taxpayers more than 11,000 Australian dollars (7,758 U.S. dollars) for internet at his Queensland home over a six-month period after he exceeded his data allowance. The bills worked out to an average of 90 Australian dollars per day despite some Internet Service Providers (ISPs) offering unlimited data packages for 90 Australian dollars per month. In a statement released on Friday night he said that his home was located a significant distance from the telephone exchange resulting in poor broadband internet connectivity but said he would repay the money. "The costs are much higher than anticipated and higher than what our community expects," he said. "Accordingly I will immediately and voluntarily pay back the total amount to ensure I continue to meet community expectations and standards." Prime Minister (PM) Scott Morrison said that the MP responsible for the administration of entitlements was investigating the matter. "I've asked the special minister of state to report back to me," he said on Friday. "Once I've heard from the special minister of state, we'll take the next step. "I think (voters would) want an explanation and that's why I've asked for one." Robert served as the Minister for Human Services for five months between September 2015 and February 2016 but was sacked by then-PM Malcolm Turnbull after he "acted inconsistently" with ministerial standards by using his position to help a company that he had a financial interest in. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 14:08:24|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close MANAGUA, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Nicaraguan government said on Friday that it will maintain its "yellow" alert as heavy rains continue to pose dangers such as landslides and floods in low-lying areas. The alert has been activated as a preventive measure in case of any emergency in the country, said Guillermo Gonzalez, co-director of the National System for Prevention, Mitigation and Attention to Disasters. He stressed that under these circumstances, it is very important to take preventive measures in order to safeguard the lives of children, pregnant women and the elderly, adding that no one should risk crossing rivers for the time being. "The rain will continue for the next 48 hours due to the low pressure weather system in the Caribbean and Pacific," said Gonzalez. Marcio Baca, director of meteorology of the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies, explained that the presence of two low pressure systems in the Caribbean and Pacific has caused high humidity. "The ground is reaching the saturation point, and there could be floods and landslides," he said, urging residents to exercise extreme precaution. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 14:07:19|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close An employee with Bjork Carle Woodworking works at the company's workshop during a press preview for the Made In NYC Week, in Brooklyn of New York, the United States, on Oct. 3, 2018. (Xinhua/Wang Ying) by Xinhua writers Liu Yanan, Xu Feng, Wang Wen NEW YORK, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- New York City kicked off its first-ever manufacturing week on Friday to raise public awareness, especially among young people. Based on Made in NYC initiative and National Manufacturing Day, the Made in NYC Week program features factory tours, hiring events, open studios, interactive meetings of manufacturing communities and sales of locally made articles. JOB LOSSES The manufacturing sector of non-durable goods in New York State witnessed an increase of 5,900 jobs from August 2017 to August 2018 while that of durable goods lost 8,100 jobs, leading to a total loss of 2,200 jobs in the manufacturing sector, according to the New York State Department of Labor. Hiring people is not easy. Tech Products, a local identification product maker, has raised payment for employees above minimum wage of 15 U.S. dollars per hour to make its offers more competitive in a brisk market, according to Daniel D. O'Connor, vice president of sales and marketing. Only one in the 32 employees at Tech Products's company in Staten Island, the southernmost and westernmost Borough of New York, is under the age of 30, said O'Connor on Friday, adding that labor and raw materials respectively account for around 35 and 15 percent of the total cost. "We're not considering expansion of business now and would have all moved production facility to New Jersey if the company doesn't own the land," said O'Connor. The company once made a plan to build new production facilities on its own land but scrapped it due to the additional cost of around 4 million U.S. dollars. "They are trying to get us out of here. New York City hates manufacturing. Every regulation is against us. It's hard time for maintaining manufacturing. Real estate is the No. 1 cause changing that," said O'Connor. "Large-scale manufacturing is gone," said Brian T. Coleman, chief executive officer of a local non-profit promoter of manufacturing Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC). URBAN MANUFACTURING REVIVAL Urban manufacturing is preserved by local authorities in New York to secure job opportunities for low-income groups and people without a high education background. "I think there is a great appreciation in the country and certainly locally in New York City for domestically and locally made products," Coleman told Xinhua. "We think the prospect (of urban manufacturing) is strong and we hope to continue to service the demand as long as it's there." The GMDC, since its inception in 1992, has rehabilitated seven manufacturing buildings in Brooklyn for small manufacturing enterprises, artisans and artists. Now it owns and operates six of them, which house more than 110 small- and medium-sized businesses and over 600 workers. "It's wonderful to be here as we collaborate with wonderful groups here with lots of artisans and different skill sets," said Erin Campbell, an employee with a local industrial design company In.sek Design, which is situated at a GMDC-developed building. "We believe this is the best location for us," Campbell said. "There are many contractors and manufacturers throughout the city so we're not paying much for shipping out to projects. It really ends up saving and make possible to run at a small scale." Rent in New York is "so expensive that any kind of manufacturing in New York City is not going to happen," said John Danabashian, project manager with a local carpentry company Bjork Carle Woodworking, which is also housed at a GMDC-developed building. "That's why GMDC is ideal because they keep rental down at manageable level." Alchemy Paintworks, a small company that provides spray coatings for art and industry, moved into a GMDC-developed building in 2015. Its business has expanded by around 50 percent in three years, according to Jason Brown, the company's founder. "Our advantage in New York is understanding of the sense of artists and use my knowledge to work out doable solutions with artists," said Brown. GMDC MODEL Oct. 5, 2018 marked the 6th National Manufacturing Day of the United States as over 1,600 manufacturers opened doors to the public and around 3,000 events were held. New York City has 5,700 small manufacturing businesses with 78,000 employees, according to Tom Donohue, program director of Made In NYC. In the United States, the manufacturing sector provided 342,000 new jobs from December 2016 to September 2018, and by this September, the private manufacturing sector had employed 12.685 million people, according to ADP, an American provider of human resources management software and services. The government-funded GMDC provides a model of creating and operating urban manufacturing space for small businesses, artisans and artists by acquiring, rehabilitating and managing neglected industries properties. It is now renovating three buildings in an entire city block in Ozone Park, Queens that will provide 85,000 square feet of new industrial space, according to its official website. The GMDC has worked with other cities including Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, Saint Paul in Minnesota and Hoboken in New Jersey. "We ... try to replicate our model," Coleman said. "We're not looking to expand our businesses (into these cities). We're giving them a kind of tips, points, the dos and don'ts on how to replicate the model we've created here in New York." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 14:17:42|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian presidential candidates are making a conservative, shallow campaign, and no clear projects for the country's future are being discussed, a Brazilian expert told Xinhua. According to Carlos Lessa, professor of economics at the Rio de Janeiro Federal University (UFRJ) and a former head of Brazil's Development Bank (BNDES), though the main candidates for the Brazilian presidency come from widely different parties, their plans for the economy are similar in the sense that they call for a conservative stabilization strategy. "I am under the impression the candidates' proposals converge towards a vision of conventional stabilization," Lessa said. "It is as if they created some consensus towards the need for a conservative stabilization policy." And with the absence of clear directives and strategies, voters are seeing only a debate of personalities instead of a debate of ideas. In addition, the matter of corruption has taken over the discussion arena in a way that left no space for a more profound analysis, Lessa said, adding that candidates present themselves as being against corruption, but not much more than that. "It cheapens the debate. Not that the fight against corruption is not relevant, but it should be a permanent statement of belief for all candidates to all positions," he said. "Putting the fight against corruption at the main point of the debate is incredibly cheap." "It is not enough to say they are against corruption. You must present some proposal for the education system, for a system of awards and punishments. But nothing new comes up. Being against corruption is a common denominator which should already have been left behind in the debate," he added. Left and right-wing representatives should debate their ideas for the future of Brazil, of what sort of country they want to build, Lessa said. "I would like very much to see interesting discussions about projects for Brazil, but that never comes up," he said. "I am 82 years and I have seen people talking about corruption and how they will fight against corruption since I can remember. I hope that in 2022, we can finally have clear, explicit projects for Brazil. At this moment, I cannot see that." Brazil is having a very tense presidential race, with Jair Bolsonaro, a far-right candidate, and Workers' Party's Fernando Haddad in the lead. The two are regarded as the most likely to advance to a second round of elections. Both candidates have high rejection rates as well as voting intentions. Lessa believes the winner of this election will have a very narrow margin, as that happened in 2014, when Dilma Rousseff had only 3.5 million votes more than her adversary. But regardless of who wins, the new president will have difficulty making drastic changes. Since the current government approved a spending cap to last for the next two decades, the next Brazilian president, whoever he is, will have very limited space to work. New presidents normally have somewhat of a honeymoon period in which they have more freedom, and in that period the president could theoretically call for a change or revocation of the spending cap. However, approving such changes in the Congress would be tough. "Today I think that it will be very difficult for any of them to approve any significant change," Lessa said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:02:26|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KHARTOUM, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Sudan and South Sudan on Friday agreed to establish a buffer zone on their joint border, demarcate the Zero line and open border crossings before the end of 2018, Sudan's official SUNA news agency reported. Sudan and South Sudan on Friday concluded military talks, where the two countries' chiefs of staff signed the minutes of the talks before developing them into a memorandum of understanding for military cooperation. "The talks were held under appropriate circumstances that allow boosting the military cooperation between the two countries to reach common understandings and pave the way for a great breakthrough in a number of outstanding issues," Lt. Gen. Kamal Abdul-Marouf Al-Mahi, Sudanese Army's chief of joint staff, was quoted in the report as saying. For his part, Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak, chief of staff of South Sudan's Army, reiterated his country's full commitment to what has been agreed on, the report said. "What has been reached is considered a strong push on the course of the two countries' bilateral political and military relations. These talks constituted a new breakthrough in various areas of military cooperation and means of strengthening and developing them further," he said. Riak started a visit to Sudan five days ago, where he held talks with his Sudanese counterpart and met with Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir and National Defense Minister Maj. Gen. Awad ibn Auf. Sudan and South Sudan signed a deal in 2012 on security arrangements stipulating withdrawal of the two countries' troops for 10 km north and south of the zero line agreed on to establish a demilitarized zone on the joint border. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:04:41|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of five pro-trade organizations published on Friday a joint op-ed on The Hill, a popular U.S. political newspaper and website, questioning the U.S. government's moves to escalate trade tensions with its leading trade partners. The article, titled "Why cripple the U.S. economy with tariffs when it's hitting full stride?", was co-authored by Deirdre T. Flynn, Sandy Kennedy, Brian Kuehl, Nathan Nascimento and Matthew R. Shay, who respectively represent the North American Association of Food Equipment Manufacturers, the Retail Industry Leaders Association, Farmers for Free Trade, Freedom Partners Chamber and the National Retail Federation. The op-ed cited four local manufactures' struggling situation as examples, showing that even before the announcement of new tariffs on 200 billion U.S. dollars worth of imports from China, trade barriers already had dire consequences for American businesses, workers and consumers. Due to the tariffs on steel and aluminum imposed earlier this year, Philadelphia-based Howard-McCray, which manufactures commercial refrigeration and display units, not only lost profit by 8 percent, but also will have to consider cost-cutting measures, such as workforce reduction, decreased benefits, deferred salary increases and reduced spending on research and development. Brinly-Hardy Co., a 125-year-old Indiana-based Lawncare accessories manufacturer, has laid off 75 employees, while Grandall Industries in Ohio postponed hiring at least 30 new workers, and Vollrath Co. in Wisconsin also stopped hiring in response to aluminum price increases. Meanwhile, the op-ed indicated that farmers have been hit hard by retaliatory tariffs from China, the European Union, Mexico and Canada. "Soybean prices have plummeted while dairy, beef and poultry inventories are piling up in warehouses across the country. The administration's farm assistance has done nothing to offset the potentially permanent damage to trade markets." Moreover, the article said, "on top of fewer jobs for American workers and less income for farmers, families will find their budgets stretched as prices rise for everyday goods. We've already seen double-digit price increases for washing machines following tariffs imposed earlier this year." "Soon, Americans will be paying more to furnish a new home or nursery, repair a car, own a pet, buy groceries or even purchase necessities like toilet paper. Shopping bills will be higher, and those costs will start to add up, erasing savings provided by tax reform," it warned. Even though the U.S. economy is roaring, these trade organizations leaders doubted the administration's purpose to continue the trade war. "In the face of these positive indicators, the administration seems determined to snatch failure from the jaws of success by escalating its trade war with our top trading partners," they said, predicting this policy will not fulfil the wishes of its proponents to deal with unfair trade practices claimed by them but do more damage to U.S. businesses, workers and consumers. "We should be resolving these disputes through existing international trade agreements and organizations instead of inflicting harm on our own people," the op-ed concluded, adding: "We ought to be eliminating all trade barriers and doing everything we can to keep the good times rolling for all Americans." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:03:34|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Brazilian presidential candidates ended their major campaign events on Friday in the tensest race in recent history. Friday was the last day for the candidates to make paid ads, and Thursday was the last day for debates. Candidates can still hold minor campaign events until 10:00 p.m. on Saturday local time (0100 GMT Sunday), and on election day Sunday all campaign activities at voting sites will be forbidden. For the first time since 1989, the presidential election is not just a contest between the Workers' Party (PT) and the Brazilian Social Democracy Party (PSDB): though PT is in the race, the PSDB's candidate has given way to far-right Jair Bolsonaro of the conservative Social Liberal Party. PT had to replace its intended candidate, former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, because he was found guilty of corruption and money laundering and is now serving a jail sentence of 12 years. Though Lula can still appeal to the superior court, he has already started serving the sentence and was barred from running. PT's new candidate was Lula's running mate, Fernando Haddad, who served as education minister for several years and was also mayor of Brazil's largest city Sao Paulo. Other major candidates are Ciro Gomes, from the Democratic Labor Party, who served as Lula's integration minister and governor of Ceara state; Marina Silva, from Sustainability Network Party, who was a senator and environment minister; and Geraldo Alckmin, from PSDB, a former governor of Sao Paulo state. Another eight candidates are also fighting for the presidency. The presidential race saw an attack on Bolsonaro on Sept. 6 when he was stabbed in the intestines during a campaign event. The attacker was immediately arrested and the police concluded that he was a lone wolf who acted out of political motivation. Bolsonaro was severely injured in the attack, and had been hospitalized until last week. The government is using a command center first used in 2013 when the country hosted the FIFA Confederations Cup, to coordinate security and logistics efforts, and ensure the tranquility of the election process. Some 24,000 people, among policemen, military officers, traffic officers and electoral court agents, will provide security and be in charge of transporting and distributing the electronic ballots. In addition to a new president and vice president, Brazilian voters will choose new governors, senators, and state and federal representatives in Sunday's elections. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:07:18|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KUALA LUMPUR, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Malaysian police said on Saturday that eight terror suspects had been arrested in recent operations for spreading extremist ideology in Malaysia. Seven of the suspects were foreign nationals and the rest one is Malaysian, with five from an unnamed European country, one from the American continent and one from the Middle East, according to Malaysian police chief Mohamad Fuzi Harun. The suspects were aged between 24 to 38 and all linked to a religious teaching center in Malaysia's northern Perlis state, either as current students or former student and teaching staff, Mohamad Fuzi said in a statement. The arrests were made in the states of Johor, Perlis as well as the capital of Kuala Lumpur in simultaneous operations by the counter-terrorism division of the police, following intelligence showing the effort by a terrorist group in Yemen to set up a regional religious study center in Southeast Asia to spread extreme ideology, the statement said. It added that extreme ideology was hidden behind the terror acts by terrorist groups like Islamic State, al-Qaeda, Boko Haram, Jemaah Islamiyah and Abu Sayyaf. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:35:11|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Around a dozen people are feared killed and at least 15 others injured Saturday after a mini-bus carrying them skidded off a mountainous road and fell into deep gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir, officials said. The accident took place near KalaMorh in Ramban district, about 135 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Today a mini-bus carrying passengers skidded off the road here and fell into gorge," Showkat Aijaz Bhat, deputy commissioner Banihal told Xinhua. "We have sent rescue teams to the spot and right now our concern is to remove injured to hospitals." "The rescue operation is underway and so far 15 people have been rescued in injured condition from the deep gorge," Bhat said. "I have sought help from air force to airlift critically injured to Jammu hospitals." Bhat said there are reports about deaths but the exact toll was yet to come. "Of course there are deaths also, but at this point we aren't sure about the exact toll," he said. Reports said no sooner the news about accident spread, locals and police rushed to the spot to carry out rescue work. Deadly road accidents are common in India, which are often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:50:13|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ISLAMABAD, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Head of Pakistan's opposition party appeared in a court for the first time on Saturday since his arrest 18 hours ago in what the country's anti-corruption body called a campaign against corruption, officials said. Hundreds of people gathered outside the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court in Lahore, the capital of Punjab province, chanting slogans in support of Shehbaz Sharif, president of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) party. NAB officials took Shehbaz in custody on Friday afternoon after he appeared before NAB investigators in alleged corruption cases, officials said. The anti-graft authority had said in a statement that the PML-N leader was involved in corruption in a housing scheme namely "Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing project" during his rule in 2013-2018. NAB said in a brief statement that Shehbaz, the younger brother of former Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, was taken into custody in a house scheme scandal in Lahore. A NAB prosecutor told the judge that Shehbaz had "misused his powers" as chief minister of Punjab province and granted the contract to a favorite company, causing "losses of millions of rupees to the national exchequer." Shehbaz's defense lawyer rejected the NAB's assertions as baseless and opposed NAB's request for physical custody of him. Angry PML-N supporters gathered in the premises of the NAB court and stopped the armored vehicle of the police in which Shehbaz was brought to the court. Paramilitary troops and anti-riot police removed the protesters and Shehbaz was taken to the NAB court. Shehbaz Sharif is also the leader of the opposition in the National Assembly, lower house of the parliament, and the PML-N lawmakers on Saturday called emergency meeting of the parliament to discuss the situation. Senior PML-N leader Ayaz Sadiq and senator Raja Zafar-ul-Haq told the media that the PML-N has sought cooperation from other opposition parties to requisition a special session of the parliament to discuss Shehbaz's arrest, which they described as "unjustified." Nawaz Sharif condemned the arrest as a "ridiculous and state victimization." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:49:23|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KABUL, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least two Afghan security personnel were killed and nine people were wounded in two back to back bomb explosions in an eastern neighborhood of Kabul on Saturday, local police said. "A sticky bomb attack targeted a military vehicle at around 07:30 a.m. local time, killing two security personnel. The second blast came about 20 minutes after police and rescue team's arrival, injuring nine people, including three passers-by and six police officers," the police official told Xinhua anonymously. The incident occurred in Shena locality, in Police District 12 and the district police chief was among the injured, he said. Further details about the incident are still forthcoming amid the absence of any official statement. Over the past few months, Afghanistan, especially Kabul, has witnessed waves of terror attacks by the Islamic State (IS) outfits and Taliban insurgents opposing the country's long-delayed parliamentary elections scheduled for later this month. During the upcoming Oct. 20 elections, nearly 9 million registered voters, including 3 million women, will cast their ballots to elect members of the 249-seat lower house of parliament for a five-year term, while they will also vote to elect members of the district councils. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 15:54:14|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Two dreaded left-wing Naxalite rebels have been arrested in the eastern state of Jharkhand, police said Saturday. "The two rebels, wanted in several crimes, were nabbed in the state's Giridih district late Friday evening. They have been identified as Geeta Devi, a woman, and Sonaram Marandi," a police official said. "These arrests are a major achievement for us as it will help us track down their fellow rebels. We are interrogating the two," he added. Naxalites are currently active in at least seven Indian states, including Jharkhand, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Maharashtra. The Naxalite insurgency began in the eastern state of West Bengal in late 1960s. Though major offensives by security forces in recent years have pushed the rebels back to their forest strongholds and the levels of violence have fallen, hit-and-run attacks are still common, killing hundreds of people, mostly security personnel, every year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 16:14:25|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close LOS ANGELES, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Neuroscientist Doris Tsao from the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) was awarded the Genius Grant for her creativity and talent in neuroscience, it was announced here on Thursday. The Genius Grant, also known as the MacArthur Fellowship, is a no-strings-attached award with 625,000 U.S. dollars to people of "outstanding talent," for their "originality, insight and potential," according to the MacArthur Foundation. Tsao is a systems neuroscientist studying the neural mechanisms underlying primate vision. She and her group aim to discover how the brain "stitches together" individual pixels of light, the photons hitting retinas, to create the visual experience of discrete and recognizable objects in space. In 2017, Tsao and her team discovered the neural mechanism for face recognition. Even though an infinite number of different possible faces exist, they found that the brain needs only about 200 neurons to uniquely encode any face, with each neuron encoding a specific dimension of facial variability. Tsao is widely recognized for pioneering the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to target electrodes for studying visual processing in monkeys. She also demonstrated the existence of "face patches" in the macaque brain. "I've been lucky to be on this journey with incredible mentors, colleagues, students and postdocs. This award is every bit a recognition of their hard work and brilliance," said Tsao. She said her lab is taking some completely new directions right now, venturing into new parts of the brain and a new species. "Doris has been a true pioneer in exploring how we perceive the world around us and she has completely revolutionized our understanding of how our brains see faces," said Stephen Mayo, Chair of the Division of Biology and Biological Engineering. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 16:42:18|Editor: Yurou Video Player Close KUNMING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Archaeologists in southwest China's Yunnan Province have unearthed a cluster of 209 tombs believed to be from between the late Neolithic and early Bronze age. The tombs were discovered during the latest excavation of 100,000 square meters of ruins in Jiangbian Village in Chuxiong Yi Autonomous Prefecture, according to the provincial archaeology institute. Wan Yang, a researcher with the institute, said that most of the tombs were earth pits with well-preserved human skeletons lying flat on their back. But in some tombs, two skeletons overlapped each other, he said. While in other tombs, bones dislocated, a result of funeral rituals according to which people were buried long after death. "Findings from the tombs carry important information about the lifestyles, culture and views of life and death of early humans living in this area," Wan said. More than 1,500 pieces of pottery, 80 pieces of bronze ware, 168 pieces of stoneware and 130 bone artifacts were also unearthed in the tombs. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 16:49:17|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least 15 people were killed and 15 others injured on Saturday after a mini-bus carrying them skidded off a mountainous road and fell into gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said. The accident took place near Kala Morh in Ramban district, about 135 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. "Today in a tragic road accident a mini-bus on its way from Banihal town to Ramban rolled down into deep gorge here," Superintendent of police Ramban Anita Sharma told Xinhua. "Fourteen people were killed on spot and one woman who was airlifted has also succumbed, which means death toll as of now is 15." Sharma said the bodies were retrieved from gorge and have been kept in mortuary to be handed over to the victim families. Locals said following the accident, they rushed to the spot and subsequently informed police who also arrived immediately bringing along ambulances. "As the news about accident spread, locals as well as police officials and disaster response force personnel came to the spot to carry out rescue work of removing injured and retrieving bodies," Mushtaq Tehseen, a local, said. "It was really a tough job to carry injured and dead from the deep gorge." Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was mangled after fall from a huge height. According to police the mini-bus was carrying over 30 local passengers, more than its capacity. Police officials have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the deadly accident. In a separate accident in the region at least 16 Indian army troopers were injured in a road accident in Shopian district, south of Srinagar, on Friday night. The injured troopers, according to police, were immediately removed to hospital. Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Officials say on an average over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents. Last month 17 people were killed and 16 others injured in a similar accident in the region. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 18:22:08|Editor: mmm Video Player Close SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- City Attorney for the U.S. city of San Francisco Dennis Herrera announced a victory in a legal battle against the federal government over an immigration law that was invoked by the White House to deny a federal grant to the city. In response to a ruling by Judge William Orrick of the U.S. Court for the Northern District of California that declared San Francisco's sanctuary ordinances are lawful, Herrera said the federal government's attempt to impose conditions on law enforcement grants for San Francisco is "unconstitutional." "We're pleased the court has recognized that San Francisco's sanctuary laws and policies comply with federal law," Herrera said. Orrick's ruling asked the U.S. Department of Justice to give California 28 million U.S. dollars that was withheld after the White House challenged the state's immigration policies. Herrera filed a lawsuit on Aug. 11, 2017 along with California Attorney General Xavier Becerra, after U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to deny San Francisco law enforcement more than 1.4 million dollars in grants for the 2017 fiscal year. The funds are from the Edward Byrne Memorial Justice Assistance Grant Program, which was created by Congress and awarded annually for more than 30 years, but the federal government has not disbursed the 2017 funds to San Francisco because of the federal and local disputes over immigration policies. San Francisco and other sanctuary cities have declined to obey orders from the White House requiring local police to cooperate with federal immigration law enforcement units in rounding up undocumented immigrants. The sanctuary cities said such cooperation with federal immigration officers would turn away local people who feared to be questioned about their immigration status if they want to report crimes to police. "There is no law requiring state or local governments to participate in immigration enforcement," Herrera said, adding that San Francisco's police and firefighters "are not going to be commandeered and turned into the Trump administration's deportation force." He said San Francisco will use the Byrne funds for important law enforcement purposes, including programs designed to reduce recidivism, provide alternative forms of prosecution or enable treatment for underserved populations. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 18:49:19|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KINSHASA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 people died on Saturday morning in a tank truck fire at the Mbuba village in the Kongo Central Province, west of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), according to an official source. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 19:13:14|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close ASADABAD, Afghanistan, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- At least one militant affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) was killed and six others arrested, following an Afghan and coalition forces operation in eastern Afghan province of Kunar overnight, an official said Saturday. "Afghan commandos supported by U.S.-led NATO coalition forces conducted an operation in Watapor district of Kunar province, late on Friday night, killing one IS militant and arresting six militants," Col. Haq Nawaz Haqyar, the provincial police chief, told Xinhua. Some light and heavy weapons have also been seized from them during the operation, according to the official. The violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by militants at the time when the country is preparing for parliamentary and district council elections slated for Oct. 20. Afghan security forces, backed by the coalition troops, have increased ground and air offensives against militants in the past few months as the country is preparing for parliamentary and district councils' elections slated for later this month. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 19:26:00|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KUNDUZ, Afghanistan, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven police officers and three militants were killed and five policemen and three militants wounded following fierce clashes in Afghanistan's northern Kunduz province overnight, local police said Saturday. "Taliban militants attacked a security checkpoint with guns and rocket launchers in Surkh Bital area of Qalay-i-Zal district of Kunduz province, triggering a fighting lasting for hours," Inamuddin Rahmani, provincial police spokesman, told Xinhua. Among those militants killed was Qari Jalal who served as a divisional commander of Taliban's Sara Keta or special force in Kunduz, he said. Zabiullah Mujahid, a purported Taliban spokesman, told local media that insurgent's fighters killed at least seven police offiers and wounded five others without commenting on casualties on their side in the incident. Violence has been on the rise as Afghan security forces struggle against a surge in attacks by militants at a time when the country is preparing for parliamentary and district councils elections slated for later this month. During the Oct. 20 elections, nearly nine million registered voters, including three million women, will cast their ballots to elect members of the 249-seat lower house of parliament for a five-year term while they will also vote to elect members of the district councils. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 19:42:07|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close NEW DELHI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Indian President Ram Nath Kovind will be on a standalone state visit to Tajikistan on Oct. 7-9, official sources said on Saturday. This will be Kovind's first visit to Central Asia since he took over the country's highest office last year. During his visit, the Indian president will meet his Tajikistan counterpart Emamoli Rahmon. Besides, Tajikistan Prime Minister Qohir Rasulzoda and Speaker of lower house of parliament Shukurjon Zuhurov will call on him. India's junior defence minister Shubhash Bhamre and parliamentarian Shamsher Singh Manhas will be a part of the Indian President's official delegation, said a statement issued by the Ministry of External Affairs. During the visit, all areas of bilateral, regional and multilateral cooperation are expected to be discussed. India-Tajikistan bilateral relations have steadily grown and have diversified in many fields. Since 2012 both countries have elevated their relationship to the level of strategic partnership. Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Tajikistan in 2015 as part of his visit to all the five Central Asian countries. Tajikistan President Rahmon has visited India five times. India and Tajikistan are engaged in bilateral cooperation in multifarious fields to promote their trade and investment. The bilateral trade had reached almost 74 million U.S. dollars last year. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 19:54:55|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close RABAT, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Morocco's trade deficit increased by 12.6 percent to 7.8 billion U.S. dollars between January and August this year, up from 6.9 billion dollars a year earlier, the foreign exchange regulator said on Saturday. According to the statistics, the rise in the deficit was driven by a 10.4-percent increase in imports, particularly due to a hike in energy bill of 19.1 percent, raw materials of 17.8 percent and equipment of 12.5 percent. Morocco's exports registered a higher increase of 11.3 percent to reach nearly 18.1 billion dollars, but remained far less in value than imports. The increase in exports was pushed by a hike of 26.9 percent in aeronautics products, 17.8 percent in car industry and 17.2 percent in phosphate. Ask Geotripper Is there something about geology that you are curious about? Do you have questions about the scientific aspects of political controversies? I can try to provide a scientist's perspective. Your questions and possible answers could be a springboard to a blog discussion, or they can be private. Anonymity is always assumed. Contact Geotripper at hayesg (at) mjc.edu. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 20:27:18|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close KINSHASA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- More than 50 people died on Saturday morning in a tank truck fire at the Mbuba village in the Kongo Central Province, west of Kinshasa, the capital of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, according to an official source. There was considerable material damage at the scene of the fire, according to an statement of local authorities. According to Atu Matubuana, interim governor of the province, the tanker truck with gasoline, which came from Matadi, capital city of the province, to Kinshasa, crashed into a parked truck. The shock caused a fire that quickly spread to the houses nearby, resulting in casualties and material damage. Authorities from Matadi deployed a local rescue team to help the local community at the scene of the fire. The Kongo Central Province is home to the Matadi and Boma ports, which link the country to various international river traffic. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 20:29:15|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close by Peerzada Arshad Hamid SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from Saturday's major mini-bus accident in Indian-controlled Kashmir has risen to 20, police said. The accident took place near Kala Morh in Ramban district, about 135 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir. According to officials, the mini-bus with 36 passengers onboard skidded off the mountainous road and fell into a gorge in the morning. "The death toll in today's tragic accident has now risen to 20 and the dead include children and women," Superintendent of police in Ramban, Anita Sharma, told Xinhua. "The injured are undergoing treatment at different hospitals." According to Sharma, the ill-fated vehicle was going from Banihal town to Ramban district headquarter. Officials said the victims were local passengers heading to the main town. Following the accident locals informed police who along with disaster response force personnel and medical teams rushed to the spot to carry out rescue work of removing injured to the hospital and retrieving bodies from the gorge. "As the news about accident spread, locals as well as police officials and disaster response force personnel came to the spot to carry out rescue work of removing injured and retrieving bodies," Mushtaq Tehseen, a local said. "It was really a tough job to carry injured and dead from the deep gorge." Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was mangled after fall from a huge height. According to police, the 36 passengers were inside the mini-bus at the time of the accident, more than its carrying capacity. Deputy commissioner in Ramban, Showkat Aijaz Bhat, said the administration sought help from airforce to airlift the injured to a hospital in Jammu. "The injured have been admitted to a district hospital here, while as eight critical ones were airlifted to Jammu government medical college hospital for specialised treatment," Bhat said. "I appreciate the role of locals, who worked side by side with police and disaster response force personnel during the rescue work." Police officials have registered a case and ordered an investigation to ascertain the reason behind the deadly accident. Officials suspect "negligent driving" the cause of the accident. Meanwhile, the region's Governor Satya Pal Malik has expressed grief over the accident and announced financial assistance of 6,749 U.S. dollars for each family that lost member in the accident. "Governor Satya Pal Malik has announced an ex-gratia of INR 500,000 (6,749 U.S. dollars) each to the family of deceased and INR 50,000 (674 dollars) to each of the injured," a statement issued by local government said. In a separate accident on Friday night in the region at least 16 Indian army troopers were injured in a road accident in Shopian district, south of Srinagar. The injured troopers, according to police, were immediately removed to hospital. Deadly road accidents are common in India often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving. Officials said on an average over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents. Last month 17 people were killed and 16 others injured in a similar accident in the region. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 20:34:08|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close A security force member takes part in a military operation in Ghazni Province, east Afghanistan, Oct. 6, 2018. More than 54,000 Afghan troops will be deployed to safeguard the parliamentary and district council elections, scheduled for later this month. (Xinhua/Sayed Mominzadah) Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 20:52:21|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close MANILA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Soldiers and policemen on Saturday shot dead one of the suspected terrorists behind the two bombings in Isulan town in southern Philippine Sultan Kudarat province that killed four people and injured several others. Army spokesman Major Arvin Encinas identified the suspect as Norodin Taib, a member of the Bangsamoro Islamic Freedom Fighters. Taib was killed around 2 a.m. local time during a joint manhunt operation in a village in Shariff Aguak town in Maguindanao province, he added. Encinas said the operatives were forced to shoot Taib after suspected terrorists inside the house lobbed a homemade grenade at the government forces. "While the troops were moving towards the house of the suspected bomber with more or less five individuals scampered towards different directions, but one of them threw a homemade hand grenade which prompted the troops to neutralize the said suspect," Encinas said. He said the suspects were involved in the bombings at Isulan, Sultan Kudarat on Aug. 28 and Sept. 2, 2018. The government forces also recovered one improvised explosive device, two improvised hand grenades, three cellphones and "subversive documents" from Taib's house, Encinas said. Encinas said the operation was launched after civilians informed the security forces about the presence of the bombers in the village. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 20:53:25|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close YAOUNDE, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Seven armed separatist were killed Friday in Otu, a village in the Southwest, one of the two crisis-hit English-speaking regions of Cameroon, after the military forces raided a building where the fighters had been camping, the Cameroon army said in a statement on Saturday. "A task force undertook on October 5 a raid in Otu village that has been under the control of secessionist terrorists since April 2018," the army said in the statement that was published on its Facebook page. Cameroon army regularly calls the armed separatists as "secessionist terrorists". It added that a health center that was serving as their camp was destroyed and seven separatists were killed. Government forces have beefed up security in Cameroon's restive Anglophone regions of Northwest and Southwest ahead of Sunday's presidential poll in the country. The armed separatist forces had vowed to stop the election from taking place in the regions. The government has taken exceptional measures to ensure national security. Borders are closed 48 hours to polling day. The circulation of goods and persons within the territory by road, railway, and airlines is banned from 6 p.m. Oct. 6 to 6 p.m. Oct. 7. Since November last year, government forces have been clashing with armed separatist forces who want the two regions to secede from the majority French-speaking nation and form a new country called "Ambazonia." Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 21:42:57|Editor: mmm Video Player Close NAIROBI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Kenyan President Uhuru Kenyatta on Saturday called on the country's leaders to stop unnecessary politicking and instead focus on development to improve the lives of Kenyans. Speaking in Nairobi during a clean-up exercise, Kenyatta urged the leaders to slow down political contests and thus refrain from fueling needless tension as Kenyans want service delivery. "We have elections every five years. Why can't we wait for the next elections? We will not feed on our parties but on development. We should respect each other as no development is delivered on party lines," said Kenyatta. "Let us work together as this is our country. We have nowhere to go to, so let us pull together to help our people," said the Kenyan leader who joined United Nations Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim and UN Habitat Deputy Executive Director Victor Kisob for a clean-up exercise of Uhuru Market in Nairobi. He said Kenyans need service from those they elected to serve them and there was need for calm on the political front until the next polls. Kenyatta said the objective of improving the lives of all Kenyans cannot be achieved if there is disunity among political leaders. "Kenyans want service from those whom they elected. Leaders should respect each other because when it comes to development it is for all of us," he added. Kenyatta's remarks came amid debate on whether Kenya should conduct a national referendum to amend the constitution in a bid to address a political, social and economic challenges peaked late last year after the divisive and highly disputed polls. The calls shutter a lull of political activities that had been witnessed in the East African nation since March 9 when Kenyatta and opposition leader Raila Odinga made peace after acrimonious polls in 2017. They further prepare the country for a long political duel between proponents and opponents of the referendum. Proponents of the referendum are led by Odinga while deputy president William Ruto is against any change of laws. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-06 21:55:30|Editor: xuxin Video Player Close BEIJING, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- A fugitive suspected of economic crimes in East China's Shandong Province has turned himself in to the authorities, only five months after he fled to Canada, the country's top anti-graft watchdog said on Saturday. The surrender of Wang Weixin, 62, in just five month has again illustrated the unwavering resolve of the Communist Party of China (CPC) to eradicate corruption, said the CPC Central Commission for Discipline Inspection in a statement on its website. Wang, former head of Daxinzhuang Village, Jinan City, is suspected of involvement in a case of illegal transfer of land use right. In the statement, the CCDI also urged fugitive suspects to let go of illusions and take the opportunity to surrender to the authorities as early as possible. Fugitives who opt to surrender before Dec. 31 and confess to their crimes will be eligible for lesser punishments, according to an announcement jointly released in August by several central agencies, including the National Supervisory Commission and the Ministry of Public Security. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 03:48:00|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ISTANBUL, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Russia and Iran would not militarily support a potential Turkish operation against the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia in Syria despite their concern that an emerging autonomous Kurdish area is a major threat to Syrian territorial integrity, analysts said. "Turkey would be ill-advised to start a military operation because neither Russia nor Iran is likely to support it," Faruk Logoglu, a former senior diplomat, told Xinhua. The initial concurrence of Turkish, Russian and Iranian positions regarding the eastern part of the Euphrates River in Syria is only "skin-deep," he said. Thanks mainly to the U.S. support, the Kurdish militia, known as the People's Protection Units (YPG), has managed to control much of the eastern part of the Euphrates during the civil war. In recent weeks, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has repeatedly said Ankara is determined to eliminate the threat posed by the YPG, because Turkey sees the group as the Syrian offshoot of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been fighting the Turkish government for more than three decades. Since Turkish, Russian and Iranian leaders met in Tehran in September, Russia and Iran have also voiced concern about the Kurdish-controlled area and the U.S. presence there. Still, Ankara cannot count on support from Moscow or Tehran to battle against the Syrian militia given a divergence of interests. "Russia and Iran want the United States out of Syria while Turkey aims to curb the YPG influence in the area," noted Logoglu. Despite an apparent convergence of discourse, it is unlikely that Moscow and Tehran, Ankara's partners in the Astana peace process which seeks a political settlement of the Syrian war, will back a Turkish military offensive to drive out the YPG, said Cahit Armagan Dilek, a former staff officer in the Turkish military. Iran would not want Turkey, which it sees as a U.S. ally, to extend its control to the eastern part of Syria, while Russia would by no means take military action against the United States on the eastern part of the Euphrates, argued Dilek, head of the Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute. Dilek referred to the fact that Russia has not even attempted to prevent Israel from striking Syrian army positions so far. "The strategy pursued by the Astana partners, as far as the YPG-held territory is concerned, is to use one another against the U.S.," he stated. At the Tehran summit, Russian President Vladimir Putin once again stated Moscow's position on not treating the YPG as a terror group, saying 95 percent of the Syrian territory, except for Idlib, had been cleared of terrorists. The area under the YPG control, which lies along the Turkish border, makes up more than 25 percent of the Syrian territory. Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov recently said the area under U.S. control on the eastern part of the Euphrates poses a main threat to Syria's territorial integrity, demanding a cessation of efforts to carve out an autonomous, independent entity there. At the Tehran summit, Iranian President Hassan Rouhani called on his Astana partners to persuade the United States to leave Syria and clear up the tangle on the eastern side of the Euphrates. Both Dilek and Logoglu felt that Moscow and Tehran would want to see a direct confrontation between Turkish and U.S. forces. The U.S. military has more than 20 bases and an estimated 2,000 to 3,000 troops in the area under YPG control. Turkey's Erdogan recently said the United States had provided the YPG with 19,000 truckloads of weapons, accusing Washington of assisting terrorists. "We are determined to clear the terror corridor in the eastern part of the Euphrates," he vowed. Neither analysts, however, expected a Turkish military operation against the YPG, as such a move would mean a confrontation with the United States. Despite sharp Turkish criticism, the United States continued providing sophisticated weapon systems to the YPG and has installed radars and air defense systems in its bases in the YPG area. The YPG area is now totally under U.S. protection, said Dilek. "Tendered by Russia, Turkey has already shouldered 'mission impossible' in Idlib and should, therefore, be better off leaving the business of handling American hold in the east of the Euphrates to the Russians and the Syrian state," stated Logoglu. Turkey is currently tasked with persuading the Islamist groups, designated as terrorists in Idlib, to surrender their heavy weapons under a deal concluded with Russia last month on the creation of a demilitarized zone in the Syrian province, the last major bastion for rebels. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 05:43:05|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ADEN, Yemen, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Saudi-backed Yemeni government on Saturday tightened security to confront possible terror attacks in the southeastern province of Hadramout, according to a provincial statement. The decision was made during an exceptional military meeting held by Faraj Bahsani, governor of Hadramout, with leaders of the army brigades in the 2nd Regional Military Command over the challenges of terrorism, the statement by the Hadramout authorities said. The military leaders agreed to tighten security measures, especially in the areas of Hadramout Valley and surrounding areas, the statement added. During the past two years, militant groups, including the Yemen-based al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), had seized key areas in Hadramout Province, but were expelled later by the Yemeni forces backed by the United Arab Emirates. The AQAP network, mostly operating in Yemen's eastern and southern provinces, has been responsible for numerous high-profile attacks against security forces in the country. The U.S. military has carried out several airstrikes against AQAP fighters in different provinces of the war-torn Arab country since President Donald Trump approved expanded military operations against the group. The Yemen-based al-Qaida branch, seen by the United States as the global terror network's most dangerous branch, has exploited years of the deadly conflict between Yemen's government and Houthi rebels to expand its presence in the country, especially in its southeastern provinces. Photo taken on Aug. 3, 2018 shows people drinking outside a bar in downtown Dublin. Irish Rail announced on Friday to extend alcohol bank on more train services following the recent approval of a bill by the Irish parliament to curb excessive drinking in the country. (Xinhua) DUBLIN, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Irish Rail announced on Friday to extend alcohol ban on more train services following the recent approval of a bill by the Irish parliament to curb excessive drinking in the country. The state-owned national railway network operator said that staring from next Friday, October 12, alcohol will be banned on five Friday train services running from the country's capital Dublin to two western cities of Galway and Westport and one southern city of Waterford. The five train services affected by the ban involve three from Dublin to Galway between 11:25 am to 15:35 pm, one from Dublin to Waterford at 13:25 pm and another from Dublin to Westport at 2:45 pm, said the company. Passengers taking the above-mentioned five train services are not allowed to drink alcohol on board and those who have brought alcohol on board will have it confiscated or they will be barred from boarding the train, it said, adding that no alcohol will be sold on these services. People will be informed about the ban on these services at railway stations or when they book tickets online, said the company. Prior to this, Irish Rail has already banned alcohol on a number of other services including those running from Galway and Waterford to Dublin on Sundays. The extension of the ban is made in response to "persistent complaints from customers about regular instances of anti-social behaviour connected to excessive alcohol consumption on board", said a spokeswoman of Irish Rail. Earlier on Wednesday night, the lower house of the Irish parliament eventually passed a bill which was first introduced some 1,000 days ago to tackle the alcohol-related problems in the country. Under the new legislation, a minimum pricing for per unit of alcohol and labelling of cancer warnings on alcohol products will be introduced and alcohol advertising will be restricted. Irish Health Minister Simon Harris said that the new legislation is a positive achievement for the well-being of the the entire country and will help change the drinking culture in Ireland. Ireland has a high rate of alcohol consumption which has led to a high level of alcohol-related harm in the country. The Irish government intends to reduce the country's alcohol consumption for people aged above 15 from the 2016 level of 11.46 litres per person per annum to 9.1 litres by 2020. WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, Mont., Oct. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Sandfire Resources America Inc. (Sandfire America or the Company) is pleased to provide the following update regarding activities related its underground Black Butte Copper project. Technical Update The Company is planning an Autumn 2018 drilling program designed to collect additional data for resource verification and to collect geotechnical data necessary to the Feasibility Study. The Company has selected Ruen Drilling, Inc. as the contractor for the drilling program. Drilling will commence upon approval of the drill program by the Montana Department of Environmental Quality (MT DEQ). The DEQ determined the drill amendment complete on September 6th and the environmental review is underway. The Company has signed a letter of intent with GR Engineering Services Limited to be the lead consultant on the Feasibility Study. Under the arrangement with GR Engineering Services Limited, Mining Plus Pty Ltd will prepare the Mineral Reserve Statement. SRK Consulting have been selected to prepare the Mineral Resource Statement. Each group is expected to manage the Feasibility Study work through their Denver offices. Initial feasibility work is planned to start soon with the bulk of the work commencing in November with a target completion date of the June Quarter 2019. Tetra Tech has completed initial design work and the specification report for the portal pad and the contact water pond. This is a key milestone as the first completed design for construction of the project. Corporate Activities On the corporate front, the Company is pleased to announce Rob Scargill has been appointed as the CEO of Sandfire Resources America Inc. Since the unexpected passing of John Shanahan in early June, Mr. Scargill acted as Interim CEO. Mr. Scargill will also continue in his role as VP of Project Development for the Companys wholly-owned subsidiary. The Company is currently undertaking a Rights Offering which will be completed on October 30, 2018 to fund ongoing permitting costs, the bankable feasibility study and future development costs related to the Black Butte Copper project. In addition to the US$1M loan referred to in our June Quarter MD&A, a bridge loan of US$1.5M has been advanced to the Company from an affiliate of its major investor, Sandfire Resources NL who indirectly owns approximately 78% of the Company. This bridge loan will ensure the Company can meet current obligations and continue working toward its goals through timely implementation of drilling and feasibility work. The rights offering is expected to raise up to CAD$18.9M. CEO and VP of Project Development Rob Scargill stated, Sandfire America continues to make demonstrable progress on our Black Butte underground copper project. We are bringing together a high caliber team with significant mine design and development experience to undertake the Feasibility Study. Once all approvals have been received, this study work will provide a robust platform upon which we can confidently construct a sustainable mining project, whilst protecting the local environment and communities. The MT DEQ is currently in the final stages of the Environmental Impact Statement (EIS) and expects to have a draft EIS out for public comment sometime this Autumn. The ROD, which would be issued by the MT DEQ, could be completed in early 2019. Community Sandfire America continues to engage local communities and stakeholders throughout Montana. Monthly tours continue and will be hosted into November and then will resume next Spring. The Meagher County Stewardship Council, developed as a stakeholder oversight entity for the community and facilitated through the neutral third party help of One Montana, hosted its inaugural meeting September 25, 2019. The Company embraces this development and is pleased to see the interest in making sustainable investments and decisions in the local community related to Black Butte Copper. VP of Communications Nancy Schlepp shared It is exciting that we are assisting in creating a model of community engagement that will benefit our community and that others may be able to emulate and benefit from as well. The ability to maintain and grow our social license while bringing the underground Black Butte Copper project to fruition is very important to everyone here at Sandfire America. Contact Information: Sandfire Resources America Inc. Nancy Schlepp, VP of Communications Mobile: 406-224-8180 Office: 406-547-3466 Email: nschlepp@sandfireamerica.com CAUTIONARY NOTE Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements: Certain disclosures in this document constitute forward looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities legislation, including statements regarding the completion of the Feasibility Study, permitting timelines and the Companys plans for advancing the Black Butte Copper Project and expected outcomes. In making these forward-looking statements, the Company has applied certain factors and assumptions that the Company believes are reasonable, including that the Company will receive required regulatory approvals, that the Company will continue to be able to access sufficient funding to execute its plans, and that the results of exploration and development activities will be consistent with managements expectations. However, the forward-looking statements in this document are subject to numerous risks, uncertainties and other factors, including factors relating to the Companys operation as a mineral exploration and development company and the Black Butte Copper Project, that may cause future results to differ materially from those expressed or implied in such forward-looking statements, including that results of exploration and development activities will not be consistent with managements expectations, delays in obtaining or inability to obtain required government or other regulatory approvals or financing, failure of plant, equipment or processes to operate as anticipated, the risk of accidents, labor disputes, inclement or hazardous weather conditions, unusual or unexpected geological conditions, ground control problems, earthquakes, flooding and all of the other risks generally associated with the development of mining facilities. There can be no assurance that such statements will prove to be accurate, and actual results and future events could differ materially from those anticipated in such statements. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. The Company does not intend, and expressly disclaims any intention or obligation to, update or revise any forward-looking statements whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, except as required by law. Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 06:05:45|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close RABAT, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Moroccan authorities arrested 59 illegal immigrants from Sub-Saharan Africa off its northern coast, a local news website reported Saturday. Morocco's security services arrested these migrants near the coastal city of Nador while they were embarking on a boat toward the Spanish coast, Hespress.com said. The arrested include six women and children, it added. An investigation was launched to determine the circumstances of the incident. In recent months, Morocco has been witnessing a significant hike in illegal immigration attempts. Morocco thwarted at least 54,000 attempts to smuggle illegal immigrants into Europe in the first eight months of 2018, compared with 39,000 attempts a year earlier, the Moroccan government said. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 06:11:54|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close LONDON, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- China's Belt and Road Initiative will create a two-way street between the east and west, the leader of the University of Chester has told Xinhua. The university's vice chancellor and principal Timothy Wheeler heads a university that sits on the English side of the border with Wales, based in a city steeped in history. With 20,000 students, every one of them known by name to the staff, Chester is one of Britain's smaller universities. But under Wheeler's stewardship it has big ideas and big ambitions. While Chester is proud of its historic past, Wheeler looks to the part being played by China on the 21st century world stage. CHINA LINK With Brexit fast approaching, Wheeler is eager to foster even greater links with China, inspired by the eight visits he has made to the country over recent years. That has prompted him to foster close links with around seven or eight Chinese universities. But it is the rapid development in China and the Belt and Road initiative that impress the academic with a degree in psychology. "Our activity in China gave us a much greater understanding, so ... when the idea of Belt and Road (came into being), we were aware of that. It was probably the last 18 months that people have become aware of all of the implication of Belt and Road," said Wheeler. Wheeler said: "If you look at global politics, you have China as a major emerging world power particularly economically." He added: "From Britain's point of view, as we leave the European Union, whether with a hard break or hopefully with a soft break, we will inevitably look to world trade. One of the significant players in the world trade is China." In the eight or nine years he's been going to China, Wheeler has seen the development of high speed rail in China. "There are new ideas, plans for not only 330 km/h, but 500 km/h, and that research is actually being undertaken in China," he said. "The precision, the speed, the time... all of those I think probably will be a major opportunity for China when we build our high-speed rail line here in Britain." "I wouldn't be very surprised if China wins the contract because of the technology is now so advanced," he said. EXPANSION Famed for its city walls, Chester was home 2,000 years ago to one of the main army fortresses in Roman Britain. The ruins of a one-time amphitheater are a reminder of the Romans who once conquered and ruled Britain. Wheeler very cannily expanded the university estate with new campuses, bought during the recession, and now paying dividends for the university. When the oil giant Shell decided to close its extensive research facility just a few kilometers outside Chester, Wheeler stepped in and bought the whole complex, for less than 2 U.S. dollars. "When Shell decided not to continue as actively in research they sold us their international research center which has 110,000 square meters of buildings and covers 40 hectares. "We've been able to develop courses in energy engineering, chemical engineering, mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, as well as some fairly sophisticated working in software engineering and software development," he said, adding that those are the strengths of the university, that's what set itself aside from other university. It's a sign of the ambitions of a university that almost 180 years ago started life as the first teacher training college in Britain. Today teacher training accounts for less than 10 percent of its academic activity, with courses that have earned a double gold standard from Ofsted, Britain's official education watchdog. Its large faculty of Health and Social Care is renowned for training tomorrow's nurses and midwives. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 06:20:08|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close DUBAI, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Chinese carrier Uni-top Airlines is planning to operate Boeing 747 freighter flight between Kunming, capital of China's Yunnan Province, and Dubai, business metropolis of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the Chinese airline said in a statement on Sunday. "In order to support the development of civil aviation and trade between China and the UAE, Uni-top airlines is planning to operate Boeing 747 freighter flight with three flights per week between Kunming and Dubai," the statement said. The statement was made during a Kunming delegation's visit to Dubai to attend the UAE Air Transport Cooperation Promotion Conference. More than 20 traders, cargo agents and media appeared at the promotion conference. "We expect to strengthen joint airline and tourism market ... in order to push the development of bilateral economy and trade," said Zhang Changsheng, leader of the Kunming delegation. "Strengthening tourism, trade and commercial links between China and the UAE is a key strategy for Dubai Airports," said Khalil Lamrabet, director of Aviation Business Management in Dubai Airports. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 06:18:38|Editor: Mu Xuequan Video Player Close ANKARA, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- The Turkish authorities are conducting a thorough investigation on the disappearance of the Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi after he entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. "There is an ongoing investigation on this foreign individual by the police and affiliate organizations," a Turkish source told Xinhua on condition of anonymity. The Turkish police said on Saturday that the missing Saudi journalist hasn't left the Saudi consulate. The Washington Post's columnist Jamal Khashoggi, a Saudi dissident critic of the country's crown prince and a former government adviser, entered the consulate last Tuesday. His visit to the consulate was related to getting official documents for his re-marriage. But he had reportedly expressed concerns about his safety. The 59-year-old journalist has been living in self-imposed exile in the United States since he fled the kingdom in September 2017. Turkey's presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin told reporters on Wednesday that Khashoggi remains inside the Saudi consulate, a day after his Turkish fiancee, Hatice Cengiz, reported his disappearance. "He didn't inform me of a threat or anything of the kind but I felt that he was fearful of something that might concern him. I waited outside the (Saudi) consulate for three hours but he didn't come back, at least I didn't see him coming back," Cengiz told CNNTurk news channel. Kalin said Turkish Foreign Ministry and police were closely monitoring the case, adding that Ankara was in touch with Saudi officials. On Thursday, Turkey's Foreign Ministry summoned the Saudi ambassador to Turkey "for consultations" over Khashoggi's disappearance. In contrasting opinion to the Turkish side, Saudi officials insisted that Khashoggi had left the building. Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman welcomed Turkey to search the Saudi consulate in Istanbul. In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg published on Friday, bin Salman said Saudi Arabia is "very keen to know what happened" to the Saudi citizen, adding "we have nothing to hide." Turkish and foreign journalists held demonstrations outside the consulate, demanding Saudi authorities shed light on Khashoggi's disappearance for fear of his safety. The mystery surrounding the missing Saudi journalist happened at a time of strained relations between Turkey and Saudi Arabia, putting the two regional powers at odds. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut ties with Qatar on Jun. 5, 2017, over unsubstantiated claims that Doha has supported extremism and fostered relations with Iran. When the current Gulf crisis broke out, Turkey sent rapid aid to Qatar including food supplies. On Jun. 7, 2017, the Turkish parliament ratified a bilateral defense bill previously signed with Qatar. Last month, Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani pledged 15 billion U.S. dollars investments in Turkey during a visit in Ankara to help its ally to overcome a serious economic volatility. Source: Xinhua| 2018-10-07 06:39:50|Editor: zh Video Player Close A man leaves a voting booth after casting his vote in Bucharest, Romania, Oct. 6, 2018. Voter turnout was low in the first of two days of Romania's referendum on family redefinition, according to the latest report on turnout released by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) late Saturday. (Xinhua/Cristian Cristel) BUCHAREST, Oct. 6 (Xinhua) -- Voter turnout was low in the first of two days of Romania's referendum on family redefinition, according to the latest report on turnout released by the Central Electoral Bureau (BEC) late Saturday. Only 5.72 percent of the electors have showed up to the polling stations in the first day of referendum, the data centralized by the BEC after the conclusion of the first day of voting showed. Over 18,000,000 voters are expected on Saturday and Sunday at the polls for a referendum to revise the Constitution to redefine family as a freely consented marriage between a man and a woman, replacing the current form that defines the family as the free-willed marriage "between spouses." The question the voters will have to answer, with "Yes" or "No", is "Do you agree with the Law for the revision of Romania's Constitution in the form adopted by Parliament?" Romanian Prime Minister Viorica Dancila said that the topic of family is an important one for all and she voted for the values she believes in. "Consulting citizens is the essence of democracy. It is the civic duty of each of us to express ourselves in regards to the topics important to society," said Dancila, after voting at the Jean Monnet High School in northern Bucharest. Under the laws, in order for the national referendum to be valid, it's necessary a voter turnout of at least 30 percent of the persons registered on the permanent electoral lists. The referendum will be validated if the validated choices represent at least 25 percent of those registered on the permanent electoral rolls. The cabinet decided on the date of the referendum on Sept. 18, in response to an initiative signed by 3 million citizens calls for a clear definition of the family concept. The initiative, launched by the Coalition for Family in late 2015, is considered to block any possibility of same-sex marriages in Romania. The Senate, as a decision-making chamber of the parliament, adopted on Sept. 11 this year the citizens' initiative which was previously passed by the Chamber of Deputies on May 9, 2017. The amendment is supported by most politicians and the major Orthodox Church with over 85 percent adherence among the population, as well as many other religious groups in the eastern European country. Stiri pe aceeasi tema - In the past 24 hours, entry into Romania was denied for 19 foreign citizens, who did not fulfill the conditions set by law, and also 19 Romanian citizens were not allowed to exit, from various legal reasons, the General Inspectorate of the Border Police (IGPF) informs on Monday. The aerial - Cristian Lascarache este un fermier din Iasi care vrea sa obtina atestatul de producator traditional pentru lactatele facute ca pe vremea bunicilor. In Iasi sunt deja atestate traditional 18 produse din carne, legume, fructe sau de patiserie. Produse lactate cu gustul copilariei Fermierul vrea sa obtina - The relationship with the United States is the dimension in which Europe must continue to invest the most in terms of partnerships, President Klaus Iohannis said on Saturday upon receiving the the International Charlemagne Prize of Aachen for the Unity of Europe. "Among partnerships, the EU-US - The National Liberal Party (PNL) is meeting in congress, on Saturday, to choose the new chairman of party, between incumbent Ludovic Orban, Speaker of the Chamber of Deputies, and Prime Minister Florin Citu. In the Liberals reunion, which will take place at Romexpo starting 11:00 hrs, 5,000 - Legume, fructe, ceaiuri, lactate, produse din carne, dar si dulceturi sau natura la pachet", toate pot fi gasite incepand se astazi, timp de patru zile, in Piata Sfatului din Brasov. Grupul producatorilor locali ROMO si Coopertiva Agricola Bio Charpatia s-au reunit cu ocazia Forumului Oraselor Verzi, - In order for more people to get their vaccine done, a bus of the Bucharest Public Transport Company (STB) has been converted into a Covid-19 vaccination on Saturday. The caravan will run in the city until the end of the year. The people that want to get their shot done, can receive the vaccine by [] - All Romanian citizens who requested evacuation support from the Romanian authorities are outside the Afghan territory, the Foreign Affairs Ministry (MAE) informs on its Facebook page, Agerpres informs. "The inter-institutional crisis cell, convened on 13 August 2021 by Minister of Foreign Affairs - Vulnerable consumers will receive aid starting this autumn to pay for their energy and gas invoices, if law allowing the allocation of these aids is approved by Parliament in September, Energy Minister Virgil Popescu informs. He participated in a meeting at the Victoria Palace with PM Florin Reglajele BNR tin euro in frau Inflatia a devenit aproape imposibil de controlat, iar evolutia pandemiei poate oferi surprize in continuare, mai ales in Romania, unde rata vaccinarii impotriva COVID-19 este dintre cele mai scazute din Europa. Cu toate acestea, BNR a decis, in ultima sedinta de politica monetara din acest an, care a avut loc marti, 9 noiembrie, [citeste mai departe] 87.73% of Iron Bridge common shares tendered Velvet Offer for Iron Bridge Resources expires Velvet sets shareholder meeting to approve final acquisition transaction CALGARY, Alberta, Oct. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Velvet Energy Ltd. ("Velvet") and Iron Bridge Resources Inc. (TSX: IBR) ("Iron Bridge") today announced that Velvet's amended $0.845 per share all cash offer has expired, and that a total of approximately 87.73% of Iron Bridge common shares equating to approximately 143,810,584 common shares have been tendered to the offer. Since Velvet's initial take up of shares on September 24, 2018, approximately 10.29% of additional Iron Bridge common shares equating to approximately 16,872,875 common shares have been tendered to the offer. Velvet has taken-up and will pay for these shares in accordance with the terms of the offer. Following this additional take-up of shares, Velvet expects to complete a subsequent acquisition transaction to acquire the remaining Iron Bridge common shares. Iron Bridge previously filed on SEDAR under Iron Bridge's profile at www.sedar.com a Notice of Special Meeting of Iron Bridge shareholders to be held in Calgary on November 6, 2018, for the purposes of approving the acquisition and amalgamation of Iron Bridge by Velvet. About Velvet Velvet Energy Ltd. is a privately-held, full-cycle exploration and production company. Focused in the liquids-rich gas and light oil window of the Deep Basin of Alberta, the Company executes an organic growth business plan, including early land capture, technical evaluation, exploration and development of internally generated prospects. Headquartered in Calgary, Velvet has current production of approximately 30,000 boe per day, prior to the acquisition of Iron Bridge, and a focused land position consisting of over one million net undeveloped acres spanning from its core liquids-rich Ellerslie development in the greater Edson area to early phase Montney light oil development and delineation at Gold Creek. Important Notice Certain statements contained in this news release constitute forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. Forward-looking information can be generally identified by the use of words such as "anticipate", "continue", "estimate", "expect", "expected", "intend", "may", "will", "project", "plan", "should", "believe" and similar expressions. Specifically, forward-looking information in this news release includes statements respecting the subsequent acquisition transaction, including the timing of any such transaction and the completion thereof, if at all. Forward-looking statements in this news release describe the expectations of Velvet as of the date hereof. These statements are based on assumptions and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors that may cause actual results or events to differ materially from those anticipated in such forward-looking statements for a variety of reasons. Although Velvet believes the expectations reflected in these forward-looking statements and the assumptions upon which they are based are reasonable, no assurance can be given that actual results will be consistent with such forward-looking statements, and they should not be unduly relied upon. For further information: Ken Woolner President and Chief Executive Officer (403) 781-9134 Chris Theal Chief Financial Officer (403) 781-9162 Peter Henry Vice President, Finance (403) 781-9133 The Mifflin Square neighborhood in South Philadelphia have seen waves of immigrant groups over the last century. Religious buildings that used to serve Jews and Christians are now house the Preah Buddah Rangsey Temple and its former funarium at Sixth and Ritner. Adath Shalom occupied the synagogue until 20087. The Buddhist temple was originally St. Andrews Lutheran Church, built in 1904. Read more The only thing you can say with certainty about Philadelphia neighborhoods is that there will be churn. Sometimes it comes from depopulation and disinvestment, other times from growth and gentrification. The markers of these shifts are best seen in religious buildings as they are passed from one group to another. The intersection of Sixth and Ritner in South Philadelphia offers a vivid snapshot of the ever-changing Mifflin Square neighborhood. The land south of Moyamensing Avenue was only lightly settled at the turn of the 20th century but quickly started filling up with Germans and Italians. Jews pushed south from Queen Village after World War I. Beginning in the mid-'70s, with the end of the Vietnam War, Southeast Asians Vietnamese, Cambodian, Laotian began arriving. Joined by African Americans and Latinos, they have thoroughly regenerated the neighborhood. It's the Cambodians who really make their presence known at this intersection. Cambodian Buddhists acquired the somber St. Andrew's Lutheran Church in 2004 exactly a century after it opened and converted it into a golden, Technicolor compound. The Preah Buddah Rangsey Temple underwent such exponential growth that, three years later, it acquired the Adath Shalom synagogue across the street, where the aging congregation could no longer sustain the building. In a neighborhood that had once been dotted with dozens of rowhouse "shuls," Adath Shalom was one of the last holdouts. The fusion of Jewish and Cambodian imagery is what makes this otherwise modest, tawny brick building so compelling. Rather than completely redesign the interior, the Cambodian Buddhists simply burrowed into the existing shell. Two tablets representing the Ten Commandments still preside over the main entrance, but they are capped with a plaster mokut, the ceremonial headdress worn throughout Southeast Asia. Inside, you can still see the unusual zodiac mural on the sanctuary ceiling, inscribed with Hebrew characters. But images of Buddha now share the space. Because the Cambodians had no need for the Orthodox Jewish women's gallery on the second floor, it was transformed into a gallery for Buddhist funeral urns. It is not clear when Adath Shalom opened, or even whether it was a purpose-built synagogue. The brick on the Ritner Street facade differs significantly from the side walls. Rakhmiel Peltz, director of Drexel University's Judaic studies program, believes the synagogue may have been created by combining two rowhouses. Founded by Lithuanian Jews, who represent just a small subgroup of all Philadelphia Jews, the synagogue was incorporated in 1922, as Beth Samuel Nusach Ashkenazi. After merging with another congregation in 1961, it was renamed Adath Shalom and adopted the practices of Conservative Judaism. As the small shuls disappeared, it became the largest synagogue in the neighborhood. During the three years that Adath Shalom and Preah Buddah Rangsey Temple shared the intersection, the Cambodian Buddhists dramatically altered the Lutheran church. The original dark granite blocks remain on Sixth Street, but the Ritner Street side is now layered in shades of saffron. An elaborate ornamental fence, featuring traditional mandala wheels, forms a generous courtyard. Griffins, lions, and warriors stand sentry at the gates. The procession through the courtyard leads to a small covered porch, where worshippers remove their shoes before entering the temple proper. The large building contains several worship areas, as well as rooms for monks, who are sometimes seen walking around the neighborhood. How long they will remain a presence is unclear. The Khmer Buddhist Humanitarian Association, which runs the temple, is building a large compound in South Jersey to serve the region. In February, it sold Adath Shalom to a development company whose name combines Cambodian and Philadelphia references: Penh Investment Penn LLC. We can only hope this deeply resonant building will be allowed to evolve along with the continually changing neighborhood. Multiple lawsuits accuse Stockton University of failing to protect students against a rogue fraternity and mishandling students' sexual assault complaints. Read more The first lawsuit came in early July: A freshman at Stockton University alleged she was sexually assaulted while incapacitated by a man who later posted footage of it on Snapchat. Then three more lawsuits in July and one last month. In each, women claim they were lured to parties, in some cases their drinks drugged or heavily spiked, and afterward choked, bitten or badly bruised, and sexually assaulted. The common thread in each: The cases were connected to a rundown off-campus house occupied by men who call themselves members or associates of the Pi Kappa Phi fraternity. The problem is both the South Jersey university and the national fraternity office revoked recognition of the group in 2010 for violations, but the wild parties continued. The women alleged their attacks occurred at the house or were carried out somewhere else by members or associates of the fraternity. Stockton isn't the first to grapple with the problem of unsanctioned or rogue off-campus fraternities. But the lawsuits, which name not only individual men but also the school and the national fraternity could plow new ground. They contend that the school could have done more to protect students from the rogue fraternity and mishandled assault reports. "These are all Stockton students," said Robert Fuggi, the lawyer for the plaintiffs. "They certainly could have taken action against that fraternity or any other fraternity, whether they are on or off campus and they chose not to." Only one of the claims so far has resulted in criminal charges. Last month, an Atlantic County grand jury indicted Zachary Madle, 25, described in the lawsuit as a Stockton alumnus and fraternity member, for invasion of privacy and aggravated criminal sexual contact. Madle is accused of videotaping "inappropriate touching" of a young woman without her consent and posting it on Snapchat, the Prosecutor's Office said. Stockton officials declined to comment, citing the litigation, as did the attorney general's office, which is representing the public college. The suits have roiled the 9,500-student campus, nestled in the Pinelands National Reserve of Galloway Township, again raising questions about what a university can do about off-campus, unrecognized fraternities that engage in problem behavior. At a student senate meeting on the issue last week, junior Mikaila Strano, 19, said Stockton has failed to adequately inform students about the specific dangers of unrecognized fraternities. "It's Stockton's responsibility to address Pi Kappa Phi and to address these parties that are happening, not only at orientation, not only at Welcome Week," she said, drawing applause from the room. About 70 students and staff attended the two-hour meeting, where administrators, too, expressed frustration over how to handle underground Greek groups. "I definitely share your pain," said Joe Thompson, assistant director of student development and Greek adviser, "and think we need to find other ways as to how we can really inform the student body to stay away from these groups." Stockton officials said at the meeting that they are planning new health and safety standards for off-campus Greek events and a violence intervention team. The university said later in a statement that it also is considering "options to enhance the warnings we provide" about conduct infractions and allegations against recognized and unrecognized groups. The problem is not isolated to Stockton. At Pennsylvania State University, officials last month warned in a letter to parents that two fraternities, Alpha Sigma Pi and Sigma Alpha Mu, continue to operate even after losing the university's recognition. And in the case of Alpha Sigma Pi, the national fraternity also ordered the group to cease operations. "We strongly discourage any student from joining these groups," the university warned. The university also relies on a State College Borough ordinance that says suspended houses are no longer allowed to operate as such without a special permit. The University of Pennsylvania's struggle with off-campus groups flared in 2016 when one sent a sexually suggestive party invitation to freshmen. Penn formed a task force on the issue and last fall began requiring the groups to register parties and comply with rules or their members would face discipline. Though Maureen Rush, vice president for public safety at Penn, said she believes that "great strides" have been made, she said: "We have much work to do." Penn has brought members who haven't followed the rules into the student conduct office, she said. Amherst College in Massachusetts is among schools that have threatened to discipline students for joining unsanctioned fraternities, while others warn students and parents against joining. But often those warnings, said Douglas E. Fierberg, a Washington-based lawyer who has been involved in litigating fraternity cases, don't fully specify why a group has lost recognition. It's difficult, for instance, to find information on Stockton's website about why Pi Kappa Phi lost its status in 2010, except for a page that notes: "Assault by members that resulted in hospitalizations." Stockton declined to release more details. "Why is it a mystery?" Fierberg asked. Fuggi cited a 2014-15 Stockton report on Greek life that listed Pi Kappa Phi but failed to note that the group was unrecognized. "Five years after they said they had kicked them off, there was no indication to current students and parents that this fraternity was a rogue fraternity," Fuggi said. The university countered that the report was "internal" and meant to be shared only among those who knew the frat was unrecognized. Fierberg said national fraternity offices could do more to stop rogue groups and shut down the houses. And he said universities could more aggressively discipline students for behavior that occurs in the off-campus houses; Stockton has a policy that says students can face discipline for off-campus violations, and it also states that students could be disciplined just for belonging to an unrecognized fraternity. But at the town hall meeting, the Greek life adviser noted that without another code of conduct infraction, that's not an easy penalty to apply. "It's really difficult for us as a university to legally hold them accountable simply for being part of a group, for walking around wearing letters," Thompson said. Mark E. Timmes, chief executive officer of the national Pi Kappa Phi, said his organization tried to intervene. It sent cease-and-desist letters to the Stockton group among other steps, he said, but declined to elaborate. Property owners also aren't immune to question. One Stockton lawsuit names the owners of the house at 600 W. White Horse Pike in Egg Harbor City as Amy and Yin Ben Tomm, who could not be reached for comment. The house appeared last month to be unoccupied, with boarded or taped windows. From 2010 through 2017, Galloway Township police logged 50 calls to that address, including 11 noise complaints, five disturbances, seven thefts or burglaries, two sexual assault attempts, and one assault, Fuggi said. Fuggi also filed two additional lawsuits against Stockton that don't involve the fraternity but compound concerns about Stockton's response to sexual assault allegations. One accuses a Stockton counselor's son of rape he has denied it and countersued, and the university's discipline process found him not culpable of assault. The other alleges that a female student with cerebral palsy was stalked for months by an autistic male student without satisfactory intervention by the college. Fuggi declined to make the women who filed the seven lawsuits available for comment. Several have since graduated or left; one is taking online courses; one remains on campus, he said. With a new semester underway, Stockton students have been demanding answers. Tuesday's town hall meeting was scheduled after students complained that a prior forum didn't allow for enough discussion. An anonymous opinion piece in the student newspaper was accompanied by a cartoon depicting university president Harvey Kesselman sweeping rapes under a rug. In a women's restroom at the campus center last month, notices atop the sinks screamed in red ink: "No More Victims No More Silence #RapeFreeStockton." Senior Samantha Kelly, 21, president of Stockton's Coalition for Women's Rights and a student senator, said the forum gave her hope. "There were direct questions, and I'm happy that they were directly answered," she said. "From this, the line might be more open now." Administrators said they couldn't answer some questions, such as whether men named in the lawsuits had been disciplined or remained on campus, citing privacy or litigation. "My family is constantly worried," said junior Victoria Bonelli, 20. Some Stockton students interviewed on campus last month were torn over how much responsibility Stockton should bear, noting that the university warns students to stay away from unrecognized frats. Administrators, for their part, said it also would help if students promptly reported incidents. But some at the forum said Stockton must better inform students where and how to report. One suggested putting important numbers on the back of student IDs. "What you guys are doing is not working," a student senator told administrators. "So maybe we try to find another way." Ramiro Cantero Galicia performs in a Copili, a traditional Aztec crown at the Methacton Mennonite Church with La Danza Azteca. Read more In July 2017, when the historic Charter Oak tree outside Methacton Mennonite Church in Worcester Township, Montgomery County, fell following a storm, people of the community didn't know its cracking sound would one day reverberate as the beat of a drum. But following Sunday's weekly worship service, a drum made from the wood of the pre-colonial-era tree it's thought to date back to the 1630s was part of a performance outside the church by the indigenous dance group La Danza Azteca, which shares Aztec culture with audiences around Philadelphia. Danza Azteca members Nicolas, 16, and Jonathan Morales, 13, of Souderton, had built the drum, or wewetl, using wood from the fallen tree. They used traditional Aztec tools for part of the process. "After they built the drum, we asked them to come and bless the land where a new tree is growing," said Pastor Sandy Drescher-Lehman. The dance group is familiar to Philadelphians from performances at the annual Mexican Independence Day festival at Penn's Landing, which is where the Morales boys and their father, Victor, first met Danza Azteca teacher Ruben Chico del Rosario of South Philadelphia. Chico del Rosario has performed traditional Aztec dance in Philadelphia for more than 10 years and formed the group two years ago. It is part of the larger national organization Movimiento de la Mariposa, or "Movement of the Butterfly," that carries on ancestral practices from central Mexico. At the church last Sunday, group members dressed themselves in Aztec attire, added feathers into their crowns, and applied face paint before heading outside for their blessing. Copal incense burned to purify the dance circle, the land, and the community. The drum, which represents the beating heart, sat at the center of the group during a rotation of three dances representing birds, mother earth, and fire. Then La Danza Azteca returned inside the church, where the dancers shared thanks with each other. We have the privilege to express our culture day to day and then to dance. What else can we ask for? said group member Ramiro Cantero Galicia, whose wife, Mayra Morales Lozada, and daughter Arlett Cantero Morales also dance with Chico del Rosario. We are that seed, and we have to make it grow, so people can see we have a great culture. From late Friday night into Saturday afternoon, seven people, including three teens, were shot and an eighth person was stabbed in seven incidents throughout the city. None of the injuries were fatal. Most of the violence occurred in a span of about two hours. Shortly after 11:30 p.m. Friday, a 31-year-old man was shot once in the left leg while outside on the 2000 block of Judson Street in North Philadelphia. A Philadelphia Housing Authority officer who was walking in the area and heard gunshots transported the victim to Hahnemann University Hospital in stable condition, Philadelphia police said. Around that same time, police responded to a shooting on the 800 block of Marcella Street in Summerdale, where they found a 16-year-old boy hit once in the lower back. Police took him to Einstein Medical Center in stable condition. About 11:46 p.m. Friday, two 18-year-old males were shot and wounded in a double shooting on the 3900 block of Glendale Street in Juniata Park. The victims were sitting on steps outside when two men in hoodies came up from an alley and started shooting at them, an East Detectives supervisor said Saturday. One victim ran a few blocks away and called police. Officers took the victims to Temple University Hospital, where one of them shot three times, in the groin, back, and leg was in critical condition, and the second, shot once in his left forearm, was in stable condition. About 12:19 a.m. Saturday, a gunman fired several shots at a vehicle on the 400 block of East Loudon Street in Feltonville, the East Detectives supervisor said. A 26-year-old man who was sitting in the vehicle was grazed by a bullet in his upper left arm. The victim refused medical treatment and told police that he had a dispute over money with the alleged 24-year-old male shooter, who was taken into custody, the supervisor said. It was not immediately known Saturday if the suspect would be charged. At 1:27 a.m. Saturday, a 22-year-old man was shot once in his left leg while outside near Island and Woodland Avenues in Southwest Philadelphia. He was taken by medics to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center in stable condition. Before he was shot, the victim had been in a dispute with another man over a woman at the Happy Inn bar on Main Street in Darby, 6ABC reported. The victim then walked to Philadelphia and was followed by the other man, who then shot him, police said. Officers tried to chase the gunman, but he got away, according to 6ABC. About 1:50 a.m. Saturday in Center City, a 52-year-old man was stabbed once in his left abdomen while outside on the 300 block of South 12th Street, just south of Spruce. He was taken by medics to Jefferson University Hospital in stable condition. No further information was available. The violence continued Saturday afternoon when, at about 1:30, a 40-year-old man was critically injured after being shot three times in the abdomen and once in his left leg while outside on the 4200 block of Tackawanna Street in Frankford. He was taken by medics to Temple University Hospital. Police were seeking suspects in all of the cases except for the Feltonville shooting. The shootings of the three teens occurred a day after two 15-year-old boys were shot at a South Philadelphia gas station. One of them, Rasul Benson, died. Surveillance video from the Gulf station on Passyunk Avenue near 25th Street showed two shooters one who emerged from the backseat of a car and another who remained there and fired. Kate Simson, state office representative for Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, fields phone calls from constituents about their opinions on Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court in Collins' Portland office on Thursday. Read more PORTLAND, Maine The first visitor Kate Simson greeted Thursday morning at Sen. Susan Collins' office was a pastor who came to share her story of sexual abuse. The 72-year-old woman, her cleric's collar loose around her neck, bent her head and began reading from a letter that described how her grandfather molested her. "He would take me in his lap and fondle me beneath my underpants," the Rev. Anne Fowler read in a trembling voice. She glanced up at Simson, who was taking notes. Simson has done this for thousands of protestors who have passed through this small office in the three months since Brett Kavanaugh's Supreme Court nomination was announced and for tens of thousands of others who began showing up here to register their frustrations starting the day after President Donald Trump's election in 2016. Trump's boisterous, unruly, norm-defying presidency has shaken up the country's political life. No place has been more changed than the small four-person office that Simson runs for Maine's lone Republican senator. Collins, one of a vanishing breed of moderates, has for the last two years been a key swing vote on just about every contentious issue that has come before the U.S. Senate and the nation. That role has transformed Simson, a single mother of two and Collins' state office representative, into a portal for aggrieved Mainers, and increasingly the entire country, to vent, rage, share personal stories and plead their case. Most of the demonstrators at her office opposed the nomination. "A professional protest greeter" is how Simson sometimes describes herself these days. On Thursday and Friday she was also a last hope for those seeking to influence the vote on Kavanaugh's nomination, scheduled for Saturday afternoon. She briefly locked eyes with Fowler, who was still recalling her trauma. "And yet as a young child I kept being sent up to say hello to Grandpa," the reverend continued. "I'm living proof of the power of repression, of the elusiveness of memory." "Thank you for sharing that," Simson said. "It's never easy, but it's necessary," the reverend replied. And with that Simson walked through the locked door into her small gray-carpeted office where the phones have been ringing nonstop for much of the last two years. Outside in the waiting room, which Simson recently cleared of furniture so that there would be more room for protestors to gather, Fowler wondered if her letter had moved Simson. "When I looked up she had stopped taking notes," Fowler said. The reverend took that as a sign that the emotional impact of her words had forged a connection. "It seemed as if she was listening carefully," she said. Behind her office door, Simson glanced out her eighth-floor window toward Lobsterman Park, where the protestors usually gather before they make their way to her office. There were a handful of marchers holding signs. "Dare I say, it seems quiet," she told her staffer Ryan Angelo, 31, who was fielding calls from around Maine and around the world. He arched an eyebrow. Simson, 40, was raised as a political junkie in neighboring Vermont, where her mother served as a Republican in the state legislature. As a child, she helped her run for office, blowing up helium balloons bearing her mother's face and campaigning door to door with her. She moved to Maine with her former husband in 2007, volunteered for a congressional campaign, worked on a local referendum in her hometown of Scarborough, and got involved in county politics. She landed a full-time job with Collins in 2014. Her first two years were filled with typical fieldwork helping constituents negotiate the federal bureaucracy and business outreach. She went suit shopping with the senator at Macy's and learned to keep an extra set of stockings for Collins in her purse in case she got a run in them right before an event. Everything changed, though, with Trump's election. The first waves of protestors came to the office in February 2017 to oppose Betsy DeVos' nomination to be education secretary. "DeVos was huge," Simson said. "We had outraged families coming by, especially those with disadvantaged children" who worried that services were going to be cut. Collins and Sen. Lisa Murkowski, R-Alaska, were the only two Republicans to oppose her nomination. Other waves of disapproval followed Jeff Sessions' nomination as attorney general and last year's votes to repeal Obamacare. In December, Simson had to call police to arrest nine religious leaders who set up a portable toilet in her waiting room and tried to stage an overnight sit-in at her office to oppose Trump's tax bill. "We are gentle, loving people, and we are singing for our lives," they sang as police led them away in handcuffs. Christine Blasey Ford's allegations that Kavanaugh sexually assaulted her in 1982 vaulted the protests to a new level. Out-of-state progressive groups, such as UltraViolet Action and MoveOn.org, began organizing the demonstrations, Simson said. Protestors no longer just wanted to share their stories. "Increasingly, they are focused on filming me as they hand me something," Simson said. In the last month protest groups have delivered more than 1,000 hangers many of them spray-painted red to Simson's office, symbolizing the threat to women if Kavanaugh votes to overturn Roe v. Wade. One group staged "a die in" at Collins's office in Lewiston, about 30 miles north, that included a woman splashing her pants with red paint as part of a mock abortion. Last week another group mailed cardboard penis cutouts with the message: "FYou and the donor class you rode in on." There have been regular death threats. "You don't deserve a uterus," protesters have yelled at Simson. Last Friday, she had to close the office 15 minutes early so that police would have time to detain protesters who refused to leave and also finish their paperwork. Her worry: If she waited until 5:01 p.m. the normal closing time she'd be late to pick up her children, ages 12 and 14, from their after-school activities. It has become harder and harder for Simson not to take the stress home with her. She was deboning a roasted chicken a few weeks ago after work and started sobbing. "I was just mentally and physically exhausted by the barrage," she said. "I get that people feel the need to tell me how they feel face to face. When you are looking a person in the eye you feel more heard. But it becomes a lot. That night it just pushed me over the edge." Another frustration: The almost ceaseless demonstrations are making it hard for constituents who needed help with VA benefits or emergency medical visas to get through to Simson and her team. For years this had been their bread and butter. Simson also had begun to worry about the pressure the country's dysfunctional politics imposed on Collins, her boss. "Is this even sustainable for everything to come down to the same handful of senators?" she asked. "Is it fair?" She glanced up at CNN. A picture of the senator looked back at her, over a chyron that read: "Key GOP Sen. Collins: FBI probe 'appears very thorough.' " Simson snatched up one of the office phones that never stop ringing. On the other line a man was spitting expletives. "How can Senator Collins say this is a full investigation?" he yelled. "She needs to get her head out of her ass!" On Thursday most of the big outside protest groups were focused on ferrying demonstrators to Washington for thunderous demonstrations of the sort that would paralyze the Hart Senate office building. The 100 or so protesters who came to Collins' Maine office were of mix of Simson's regulars from the last two years, most of whom she knew by name, and some newcomers. A pair of women had driven seven hours from Syracuse, New York. A hotel worker had hopped the 6:25 a.m. ferry from Chebeague Island. Amanda Nash, 59, and Susan Erony, 69, decided to drive two hours up the coast that morning from Gloucester, Massachusetts. "Fing sham of an investigation," Nash had texted her friend after flipping on the morning news and seeing that the FBI had finished its work. "Let me know if you want to go." Now they were standing in front of Simson, who was jotting notes in a black notebook, her 11th since Trump became president. Most of the days' comments from the in-person visits, the phone calls and the thousands of letters that clutter the conference table in Simson's office will get boiled down into a few paragraphs that she will email to Collins' D.C. office at the day's end. From there, someone will pass them to the senator. "We're so depressed," Erony told her. "We're freaked out," Nash added. Around 2 p.m. about a half-dozen of the Simson's regulars arrived and took up positions on the floor in Collins' waiting room. Naomi Mayer, 68, a member of the protest group March Forth, asked about Simson's kids and offered her some homemade cookies. Then she delivered her remarks of the day for Simson, who wrote them down. "We do believe we're watching the demise of our democracy," Mayer told her. Jackie, 52, who declined to give her last name to protect her privacy, pulled Simson aside for a more personal testimony. "I'm a sexual abuse survivor and my wife is too. We've been through so much therapy," she said, her face turning red and her voice choked with emotion. "But the hardest part is my 16-year-old daughter who woke up the day after the election and said, 'Does this mean it's OKfor a man to grope and violate me?' " "I can't have my daughter go through life feeling like a piece of meat," she said. "I know you feel the same way." "I have a 14-year-old daughter," Simson replied. Back inside her office Simson glanced at the latest CNN chyron, which now read: "Key GOP Sen. Collins Returns to Review FBI report." On the office's voice mail was a death threat that she would report to the Capitol police and a tirade from a local nursing professor who had visited the office several times previously. "If she caves on this, she can fing forget about ever getting anything done in this state," he screamed. "I am fing irate and you are pathetic." With that she shut down the office for the day. It was a little after 5 p.m. as Simson strode past protesters in Lobersterman Park who were shouting in the direction of Simson's now empty office. "Susan Collins, sexual violence is not a partisan roadblock," a woman yelled through a bullhorn. On Friday morning, with the phones still ringing, Simson watched the senators vote 51 to 49 to advance the nomination to a final vote. Murkowski was the lone Republican who voted against pushing the nomination forward. Collins voted in favor but said that she would reveal her final decision on Kavanaugh later that day. "It's not going to be her and Murkowski anymore," Simson said, looking up at her television where the two female lawmakers, seated next to each other on senate floor, were talking. "It's just going to be her." Just after 3 p.m. Collins began speaking. Simson kept one eye on the senator on television and another on security footage from her waiting room, packed with about two dozen protesters praying that she would oppose the judge. "When passions are most inflamed, fairness is most in jeopardy," said Collins, making a dispassionate case for the judge's respect for legal precedent. The senator's speech was also a plea for comity, moderation and the "common values" that bond Americans together. All have been in increasingly scarce during the last two years. "I will vote to confirm Judge Kavanaugh," Collins said. Simson's eyes at that moment were fixed on her boss. She had been unsure what Collins would decide, but was prepared to support her either way. "It was the best speech I've ever heard her give," Simson said. "I've got goose bumps. I'm so proud." Outside her office door Simson could hear the two dozen protesters moan: "Shame." She could see them on the security camera, staring at the floor, hugging and crying. After about 10 minutes most of the protesters quietly collected their belongings and filed out. A few who remained said they would wait in the room until Simson called the police at 5 p.m., when the office closed, to have them arrested. MONTREAL, Oct. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Alphinat Inc. (TSXV: NPA) is pleased to announce that it has offered its Class A and Class B Debentureholders to proceed to the Conversion of their Class A and Class B Debentures at a conversion price of $0.05 per share, being the minimum issuance price pursuant to the TSX Venture Exchange regulations. The closing price of the Common Shares of Alphinat today was $0.035. If all the Debentures in the aggregate principal amount of $824,287 are converted Alphinat will issue a total of 16,485,740 shares, of which 5,174,536 shares could be issued to insiders representing approximately 8% of the 65,485,536 issued and outstanding shares assuming full conversion. Currently there are 50,503,220 shares outstanding. The conversion and issuance of shares will take place pursuant to the TSX Venture Exchange Shares for Debt Policy 4.3. The transaction is subject to the approval of the TSXV. Closing is expected to take place in the second week of October. About Alphinat At Alphinat, we are driven by the passion to make application development easy for everyone. We are empowering people with the vision of how a finished application should look and behave to be fully involved from the start of the process. After all, what better way to ensure a favourable outcome than to provide those closest to an applications end-users with a vested interest in its success throughout its development? We are constantly working to reduce the need to code in order to make application development and maintenance simpler and less error-prone no matter how complex, enabling both current and legacy infrastructure to outperform. So whether you choose to develop your applications with the help of our low-code platform SmartGuide, kickstart your project using one of our pre-built apps or engage us or one of our partners to do the work for you, were here to help you deploy better applications in record time. Visit https://www.alphinat.com for more information. We look forward to hearing from you. Forward-looking statements Certain statements in this document, including those which express management's expectations or estimations with regards to the Company's future performance, constitute "forward-looking statements" as understood by applicable securities laws. Forward-looking statements are, of necessity, based on a certain number of estimates and hypotheses; while management considers these to be accurate at the time they are expressed, they are inherently subject to significant uncertainties and risks on the commercial, economic and competitive levels. We advise readers that these forward-looking statements are subject to risks, uncertainties, and other known and unknown factors that may cause the actual results, performance or achievements of the Company to be materially different from any future results, performance or achievements expressed or implied in these forward-looking statements. A number of factors could cause significant differences between actual results and those described in forward-looking statements. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's capacity to increase acceptance of its products on the market, and to penetrate new markets; the potential existence of defects or undetected problems in the Company's products; the Company's ability to manage its growth; the Company's ability to compete with others; potential commitments; maintaining the Company's intellectual property rights and defending against litigation putting those rights in question; the Company's reliance on the knowledge of its key personnel; and the Company's access to sufficient capital to finance its future needs. This is a partial and non-exhaustive list of factors that could bear on any of our forward-looking statements. Investors are advised to not rely unduly on the forward-looking statements. This advisory applies to all forward-looking statements, whether expressed orally or in writing, attributed to Alphinat or to any individual expressing them in the name of the Company. The Company is under no obligation to publicly update these forward-looking statements, whether to reflect new information, future events, or other circumstances. Risks and uncertainties that bear on the Company are described in greater detail in the Company's Annual Report. Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release. For further information please contact: Mr. Curtis Page Chief Executive Officer Alphinat Inc. (514) 398-9799 ext 225 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... KEMP, Texas, Oct. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Larson Electronics, leader in explosion proof lighting and equipment, has released a new explosion proof enclosure designed to safely house fire alarm strobe lights in hazardous locations. This enclosure has a bold red finish and adjustable trunnion mount for ideal strobe visibility. The EPL-AEY-6.7ID-RED-MOD1 is an explosion proof fire alarm enclosure most compatible with Gentex Commander4 series of fire alarms. This enclosure has a red finish to help indicate its purpose. An adjustable trunnion bracket allows users to mount the enclosure and re-position it to make the enclosed strobe light easy to see. This enclosure is constructed of copper-free aluminum and the protective lens of tempered soda lime glass. It is IP66 waterproof and resistant to the corrosive effects of dust, dirt, humidity and weather. With this housing, the enclosed fire alarms can operate safely in hazardous locations with temperatures ranging between -22F and 140F, as well as 0% to 95% non-condensing, humid environments. This enclosure is rated for use in Class I Divisions 1 & 2 Groups B, C, & D, Class II Divisions 1 & 2 Groups E, F, & G and Class III hazardous locations. This enclosure makes it possible to safely operate fire alarms in explosive environments, which is very important to worker safety, said Rob Bresnahan, CEO of Larson Electronics LLC. Also, the adjustable bracket gives operators the flexibility to position the enclosure to ensure the alarms strobe can be effectively seen. About Larson Electronics LLC: Larson Electronics LLC is a manufacturer of industrial lighting equipment and accessories. The company offers an extensive catalog of industry-grade lighting and power distribution products for the following sectors: manufacturing, construction, food processing, oil and gas, military, marine and automobile. Customers can benefit from the companys hands-on, customized approach to lighting solutions. Larson Electronics provides expedited service for quotes, customer support and shipments. For further information, please contact: Rob Bresnahan, President and CEO Toll-free: 1-800-369-6671 Phone: 214-616-6180 Fax: 903-498-3364 E-mail: sales@larsonelectronics.com A photo accompanying this announcement is available at http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/8392bf8b-ef54-4d3a-bc21-e9f9c15ffdb7 New Delhi: YRF's upcoming action-adventure saw a grand trailer launch amid much fanfare recently. Within days of the launch, the trailer set the internet on the storm and with over 5.44 crore views on the YouTube. However, as latest reports, Mr Perfectionist Aamir Khan seems to be tensed about the response that film first official trailer has received by the people. Reportedly, several fans have criticised the trailer saying it wasn't as good as hyped and even questioned the average VFX used in the film. As per the report from Dainik Bhaskar, a source close to the actor said that Aamir keeps a hawk's eye on audience reaction towards his films. And going by the audience reactions to the trailer, he has got a little worried about the VFX used in the movie. "Aamir is now in talks with the team to see what best could be done to make sure the special effects in the final movie is up to the mark. He has conveyed the message subtly that VFX needs to be of superior quality," he said. The source added that the actor has suggested the makers to make VFX changes in some of the crucial scenes in the film. Though it is known that it will be highly difficult to change the scenes entirely since the film is only a month away from the release, he is planning to do a few corrections to make those scenes look as best as possible. The film is slated for this Diwali release. 'Thugs of Hindostan' features Aamir Khan in the lead role besides Bachchan senior. Fatima Sana Shaikh and Katrina Kaif play female leads in the period drama by Yash Raj Films. The venture is helmed by 'Dhoom 3' helmer Vijay Krishna Acharya. The film is reportedly based on Philip Meadows Taylor's 1839 novel Confessions of a Thug. At least three SHOs were removed, four constables suspended and two ex-policemen arrested after the Uttar Pradesh police cracked down on social media protests from within the force over the action taken against two constables who allegedly shot dead an Apple executive in Lucknow last week. Pictures on social media show police personnel wearing black armbands in support of their colleagues who were arrested after the tech company executive was shot dead when he refused to stop his car for checking. Incharges of Naka, Gudamba and Aliganj police stations in the state capital were removed and three constables posted there suspended on Friday. A departmental probe is on, said DIG (Law and Order) Praveen Kumar. The photographs of constables of the three police stations went viral on social media, after which officers swung into action. They, however, did not confirm whether the photographs were current or old. On Thursday, former constables, Brijendra Yadav and Avinash Pathak, dismissed from service earlier in different cases, have been arrested from Varanasi and Mirzapur, while a policeman, Sarvesh Chowdhury, posted in Raebareli has been suspended over the same issue, police said. An FIR has also been registered against Sarvesh Chowdhury for posting an 11-minute video in which he purportedly claims that he had offered and has been collecting money for the two constables accused in the killing of the Apple executive. He is also seen taking swipes at political leaders and top police officials. Officials said a probe has been ordered into reports that constables were posting their pictures with black armbands on in support of their two accused colleagues, and that action would be taken against those found involved in such acts. Vivek Tiwari, the Apple executive, was shot dead early on September 29 when he allegedly refused to stop his car for checking in Lucknow's posh Gomti Nagar neighbourhood. Two constables, Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar, were arrested after an FIR was lodged on basis of a complaint by Tiwari's colleague Sana Khan, who was travelling with him. Some people claiming to be batchmates and sympathisers of Prashant Chowdhury and Sandeep Kumar are seen campaigning for them on social media and seeking donations to help them. "An FIR has been registered at Hazratganj police station here on Thursday against unnamed people under the Police (Incitement to Disaffection) Act, and cyber teams are looking at such posts to take the case to a logical end," a senior police official said here. The Act provides a maximum punishment of six months. "Rumours are being spread on social media... We have taken the matter seriously and surveillance is going on to track such people. It has come to the fore that some constables terminated from service are involved in it," the DIG said. A Uttar Pradesh police spokesperson said, "It has come to our notice that constables are tying black ribbons and posting such pictures on social media." The posts are being examined, he said, adding in the last two days, investigating officers have come across instances where morphed or old pictures were posted on social media. Clarifying the situation, the DIG said, "Some people posing as policemen and anti-social elements are involved in it. We will take strict action." When asked about the issue, Vivek Tiwari's wife Kalpana said, "My innocent husband was killed, I want justice for him. I am not against the police. This (campaign in support of accused constables, if any) should not be held. Senior officers should take cognisance of it and take action." About reports that constables were collecting money to help their arrested colleagues and other such items flooded the social media, DGP O P Singh had on Thursday said, "We have alerted our officers and a close watch is being kept on social media. The officers have been asked to interact with constables and tell them about the incident and explain the circumstances under which they were arrested and dismissed. New Delhi: The bail applications filed for Surendra Gadling and Shoma Sen, accused in Bhima-Koregaon case, will be heard on October 10. On the same day, the prosecution will file their reply on bail application for Vernon Gonsalves, Sudha Bharadwaj and Arun Ferreira. On Friday, bail applications were filed for Arun Ferreira and Vernon Gonsalves while on Thursday bail application was filed for Sudha Bharadwaj in Pune Sessions Court. All of them are currently under house arrest following the Supreme Court's order. On Monday, the Delhi High Court freed Gautam Navlakha, another activist accused in the case, from house arrest. Last month, police arrested five left-wing activists, after raiding their homes in several states for suspected Maoist links over the Elgar Parishad meeting which was held a day before the violence. The police raided the homes of the activists and lawyers from five states - Varavara Rao in Hyderabad, Vernon Gonsalves and Arun Ferreira in Mumbai, Bharadwaj in Faridabad and Gautam Navalakha in Delhi. In a media briefing, the police had released details of seized letters related to five activists arrested in June in connection with the Bhima Koregaon violence. The police also claimed they have "conclusive proof" to link Left-wing activists arrested in June and this week to Maoists, saying one of them spoke of a "Rajiv Gandhi-type event to end Modi-raj". Lucknow: Former Samajwadi Party Spokesperson Pankhuri Pathak on Saturday said that she and her team members were allegedly attacked by Bajrang Dal activists when they were trying to meet families of the two persons who were killed in a 'fake' encounter in Aligarh. Mustaqeem and Naushad, who carried a bounty of Rs 25,000 each on their heads, were killed in an encounter with police in Harduaganj area here on September 20. Taking to Twitter, the ex-SP spokesperson said, "Leader of the Bajrang Dal Mob that attacked me. First they tried provoking us, when that did not happen they attacked. The attack on us was preplanned. Will @Uppolice @myogiadityanath @dgpup dare to arrest these people ? Total mobocracy in the state !" Along with her tweet, the ex-SP spokesperson shared a video and tagged the handles of the state police, chief minister and the DGP while daring them to arrest the alleged attackers. Pathak alleged that while she was returning from Atrauli at least three members of her team were assaulted and injured by alleged Bajrang Dal activists who attacked them 'in the presence of the police' and also stoned their cars. Bajrang Dal is the youth wing of Vishwa Hindu Parishad. She added, "We were warned not to come back to Atrauli. We are not reporting this matter to the Aligarh police because we have no faith left in them. We are returning to Delhi and will decide our future course of action in this matter." Pathak further said, "Our only objective in meeting the families of those who were killed in police encounter last month was to ascertain on humanitarian grounds whether they facing any sort of harassment." Despite several efforts no senior district police official was available for comment. Meanwhile, a senior office bearer of Vishwa Hindu Parishad (western UP) termed the allegations levelled by Pathak as "completely false and baseless". (With inputs from PTI) Apollo Hospital in Chennai on Saturday submitted a five-page affidavit in which it said that the management had been requested to keep CCVTs in the hospital off each time Jayalalithaa was taken out of her room. In its affidavit submitted to the Arumughaswamy Commission of Inquiry, the hospital's management said that four police officers - including IG (Intelligence) KN Sathiyamurthy - has requested them to keep the CCTVs off when 'Jayalalithaa was taken through the route and it would be switched on when she was back in the room.' The lack of adequate CCTV footage from around the time the former Tamil Nadu chief minister was admitted here in late 2016 has raised several eyebrows. Doctors at Apollo Hospital are among many who have been questioned and cross-examined. (Also read: Was Jayalalithaa murdered? Seven conspiracy theories) Jayalalithaa passed away on December 5, 2016 after being treated in the hospital for 75 days from September 22 for various ailments. In September 2017, the state government had constituted the probe panel under the Commissions of Inquiry Act, mandating it to probe the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's hospitalisation and also the treatment provided by the hospital until her demise. The commission, whose term has been extended twice since then, had invited all those having "personal knowledge and direct acquaintance" to furnish information related to her. Several persons, including present CM O Panneerselvam and his followers, had earlier raised suspicions about the circumstances leading to Jayalalithaa's death. Pala: A Kerala court on Saturday extended the judicial custody of former Bishop Franco Mulakkal, who was arrested on the charge of raping a nun repeatedly between 2014 and 2016, till October 20. Mulakkal, after undergoing a routine medical check-up, was produced before Judge M Lekshmi of the Pala Judicial Magisterial Court here who extended his judicial custody for another two weeks. Mulakkal was arrested on September 21 after three days of questioning and on September 24, he was sent to two weeks judicial custody by the very same court. The entire proceedings took around five minutes and he informed the court that he had no problems in the Pala sub-jail, where he has been kept since he was remanded. However, his counsel informed the media that in the coming week, they will approach the Kerala High Court again seeking bail. On October 3, the Kerala High Court denied Mulakkal`s bail plea as Justice V. Raja Vijayaraghavan observed that there was evidence against the bishop. Mulakkal, who heads the Roman Catholic Diocese in Jalandhar, Punjab, is the first bishop in the country to be sent to jail on charges of rape and since then he has been getting a steady stream of high profile visitors including leading politicians. New Delhi: The election season in the country is here with the Election Commission announcing the dates of polling and counting on Saturday. With five states - Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana going into polls, the stage is set for a massive political battle which could have ramifications for the crucial Lok Sabha elections next year. The full schedule announced by the Election Commission is as follows: Rajasthan (200 seats): Last date of filing of nomination - Nov 19 Scrutiny of nomination - Nov 20 Polling - Dec 7 Madhya Pradesh (230 seats): Last date of nomination - Nov 9 Scrutiny of nomination - Nov 12 Polling - Nov 28 Chhattisgarh (90 seats): 1st phase (southern Chhattisgarh) - Last date of nomination - Oct 23 Scrutiny of nomination - Oct 24 Polling - Nov 12 2nd phase (northern Chhattisgarh)- Last date of nomination - Nov 2 Scrutiny of nomination - Nov 3 Polling - Nov 20 Mizoram (40 seats): Last date of nomination - Nov 9 Scrutiny of nomination - Nov 12 Polling - Nov 28 Telangana (119 seats): Last date of filing of nomination - Nov 19 Scrutiny of nomination - Nov 20 Polling - Dec 7 Counting of votes in all states would be on December 11. While the BJP would look to retain power in the states of Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh, the Congress would be hoping to hold on to Mizoram. The Congress has also not named its CM candidates for any of these states and, instead, would be looking at party president Rahul Gandhi to spearhead the campaign. For BJP, party president Amit Shah and Prime Minister Narendra Modi have already hit the ground running and party workers at the state level have been told to reach out to the masses to highlight the work done by the party and the central government. Model code of conduct came into effect in these states - as well as in Telangana - has come into effect. In a major shocker, several rooms in a hostel at the University of Allahabad, including those of the winning candidates, were set ablaze on Friday night after the results for the student union elections were declared. In the Holland Hall Hostel, the rooms of newly-elected president Uday Prakash Yadav, of Samajwadi Party (SP), and another winning candidate Avnish Yadav were set on fire by unknown miscreants. Several other rooms were also set ablaze. The miscreants also hurled bombs after setting fire to the hostel rooms. The incident took place under the Colonelganj Police station. After the news of the incident, several fire tenders were rushed to the spot to douse the fire. Speaking to reporters, one of the winners of the elections said that his entire room was engulfed in the fire burning all his possessions. He also accused of getting targetted for being a Yadav. The vehicles that were parked inside the hostel compound were also engulfed in fire. Everything in the compound from clothes, bed, documents were burnt to ashes. SSB Allahabad Naveen Tiwari said the entire night there was the ruckus in and around the university. With state elections round the corner, Prime Minister Narendra Modi hit the ground running in Rajasthan on Saturday by addressing a rally in which he fired shots galore towards Congress. Asking people to choose between vote bank politics and politics of development, he highlighted that the BJP has been relentless in its endeavour for the people's betterment. Touching upon the fractions in the opposition camp, PM Modi said that while rivals make efforts to make uneasy alliances, BJP is busy in unifying the country. "Some only indulge in politics of vote bank and think of ways to divide. Vote bank politics affects bureaucracy and eats our system from within. Please don't let parties doing this kind of politics enter the country anymore," he said. "For BJP, it is all about working together with everyone and for everyone. In this lies the future of India." PM Modi once again accused Congress of being a dynastic party. "People of the state and of the country are our high command. Congress' high command is one family. They can go to any extent to safeguard their own interest. Should they be allowed to be in power, should they be allowed to loot, should the road of development be turned into road of destruction?" he asked. For 60 long years, the Congress practiced vote bank politics. This led to severe problems. Politics of development was never acceptable to Congress: PM @narendramodi Dial 9345014501 to hear him LIVE. #VijaySankalpWithPM BJP (@BJP4India) October 6, 2018 The elections in Rajasthan are expected to be a litmus test ahead of Lok Sabha elections next year. The BJP and Congress have taken turns to be in power since 1993. Vasundhara Raje though would be hoping the trend ends and she is able to retain power. BJP won 163 out of 200 seats - with a 43% vote share - in the 2013 state assembly elections. This year too, the party has unleashed a comprehensive plan to retain power with party workers being told to reach out to people in the state to highlight achievements of the state and central government. President of Bharatiya Kisan Union Balbir Singh Rajewal on Saturday said that he will file a PIL in Punjab and Haryana High Court against the government and NGT. Balbir says that he will file a PIL against NGT's decision to ban the burning of stubble, news agency ANI reported. Speaking on the ban, Balbir said that the farmers have no alternative other than burning stubble. He added that it will continue. "The farmers have no alternative, so stubble burning will continue," Singh said. Accusing NGT and the government of not understanding the situation, Singh added that NGT and government both penalises the farmers. Singh said that NGT had asked to provide machinery and then penalise the farmers if they burn stubble. "The government is penalising us but not providing machinery," he added. "Why did NGT not consider the scientific angle of the matter that microbes and rats which are harmful to crops, won't be burnt now?" Singh added. Deputy Commissioner of Ludhiana Pradeep Kumar said that according to the available information, appropriate numbers of machineries have been ordered. Kumar said, "As per the information available with us, there was a requirement for 550 machineries and we have already ordered 540-545 machineries." "350 machineries have been delivered & 290-300 subsidies have also been released," Kumar added. (With Agency Inputs) PASCAGOULA, Miss., Oct. 06, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Huntington Ingalls Industries (NYSE:HII) Ingalls Shipbuilding division christened the guided missile destroyer Frank E. Petersen Jr. (DDG 121) today with approximately 900 guests in attendance. The ship is the 71st in the Arleigh Burke (DDG 51) class of destroyers and the 33rd built by Ingalls. Alfred Gray, a retired general and former commandant of the U.S. Marine Corps, was the keynote speaker. Were here to honor a great American, a great ship and a great shipyard as well, Gray said. Frank is the person who really gave all of the people that youve met here today their inspiration to go forward, to be tough about everything, to be disciplined and to never forget that above all, youre a Marine warrior. It is that kind of spirit and that kind of belief that we honor today by naming this great ship Frank E. Petersen Jr. A photo accompanying this release is available at: https://newsroom.huntingtoningalls.com/file?fid=5bb8fbc32cfac245196f55df . DDG 121 honors Frank Emmanuel Petersen Jr., who was the Marine Corps first African-American aviator and the services first African-American general. After entering the Naval Aviation Cadet Program in 1950, Petersen would go on to fly more than 350 combat missions throughout the Korean and Vietnam wars. We are here to christen this ship to the life and service of a true pioneer in the Navy and Marine Corps, Frank Petersen, said Marine Corps Commandant Gen. Robert Neller. The USS Petersen is now a reality, and it is a ship that will be in service to our nation for decades to come. DDGs play a vital role, not only in the Navy and defense of the United States, but for our allies around the world. To the shipbuilders, we really appreciate your efforts, skill, professionalism and hard work in building this ship. Thank you so much for that. DDG 121 is co-sponsored by Alicia Petersen, widow of the ships namesake, and DArcy Neller, wife of Gen. Neller. Together, Petersen and Neller officially christened the ship by successfully breaking two bottles of sparkling wine across its bow. Petersen spoke on behalf of both sponsors at todays ceremony. Our family has been in Pascagoula for about two days now, and the love and friendship that we have felt from everyone has been so contagious, Petersen said. We believe that you are our family now and feel so happy that Franks ship is here in your home being built under the wonderful leadership of Ingalls. Ingalls not only does great work, but they take great pride in its ownership. Over the course of 30 years, Ingalls has built and delivered 30 Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. The shipyard currently has five DDGs under construction, including Jack H. Lucas (DDG 125), the first Flight III ship, which started fabrication in May. Ingalls was recently awarded a $5.1 billion multi-year procurement contract to build six more destroyers. All Ingalls ships are built for men and women like General Petersen with one goal in mind: to protect the brave Americans who defend our freedom, and Frank E. Petersen Jr., the ship, will be no exception, said Ingalls Shipbuilding President Brian Cuccias. Today, alongside our Navy partners, the leadership of the great State of Mississippi, of Jackson County and of the City of Pascagoula, we are investing hundreds of millions of dollars in modernizing our facilities. Combine that with a hot production line and our talented and experienced shipbuilders, and we are uniquely positioned to provide our country with the highest quality, most capable destroyers in the world. Simply stated, Ingalls builds the finest warships the world has ever knownright here in Pascagoula, Mississippi. Arleigh Burke-class destroyers are capable, multi-mission ships and can conduct a variety of operations, from peacetime presence and crisis management to sea control and power projection, all in support of the United States military strategy. The guided missile destroyers are capable of simultaneously fighting air, surface and subsurface battles. The ship contains myriad offensive and defensive weapons designed to support maritime defense needs well into the 21st century. Huntington Ingalls Industries is Americas largest military shipbuilding company and a provider of professional services to partners in government and industry. For more than a century, HIIs Newport News and Ingalls shipbuilding divisions in Virginia and Mississippi have built more ships in more ship classes than any other U.S. naval shipbuilder. HIIs Technical Solutions division provides a wide range of professional services through its Fleet Support, Integrated Missions Solutions, Nuclear & Environmental, and Oil & Gas groups. Headquartered in Newport News, Virginia, HII employs more than 40,000 people operating both domestically and internationally. For more information, visit: The son of abducted Lucknow jeweller Kishorilal Soni, Vikas Soni on Saturday questioned the responsibility of the Indian government towards his father after he was taken away to Nepal. Kishorilal, a 65-year-old jeweller, was abducted on September 28 from Lucknow while he was returning from his shop. He was taken to Nepal and is currently under police custody. While Vikas accused the Nepal Police of abducting an innocent citizen of India and whisking him away to the country, his mother said that they didn't trust the Nepal Police. Stating the plight of the family, Vikas said that the Uttar Pradesh Police has said that they won't be able to help the family further as the matter is currently under the Nepal police. The UP Police added that Kishorilal is being held for questioning in Nepalgunj in connection with an old theft and murder case. He also said that the police has given them a number on which a Nepal police personnel helped him speak to his father. Vikas said that his father verified that he was abducted from near his shop but did not know his current location. In an interview to news agency ANI, Vikas said, "Nepal Police abducts an innocent Indian citizen from Lucknow and takes him to Nepal. Does Indian government not feel responsible that one of its citizens has been taken away to another country? UP Police told us that my father is being held for questioning in Nepalgunj in connection with an old theft and murder case. They said they won't be able to help us further as the matter was now with Nepal police." He added, "UP police gave us a number on which a Nepal police personnel made me speak to my father. My father said that he was abducted from near his shop but did not know his current location. My father's statement was verified with CCTV footage which proved he was abducted." A teary-faced wife of Kishorilal said, "A thorough investigation should be conducted and my husband should be brought back to India respectfully. We don't trust Nepal police." Earlier, Vikas had written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj urging for an impartial probe by higher officials in the case. After a CCTV footage of the incident, Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Lucknow confirmed the news and said that a case was registered on September 28 under section 364 of IPC (Kidnapping or abducting in order to murder) in Madiyava Police Station. The victim's family received calls from Nepal stating that he was being placed under police custody. Informing more about the case, the SSP said that in 2004, his daughter was married in Nepal and same year there was a theft reported at Nepal's Newdeep Jewellers. The Nepal Police said that the man has been taken into custody in connection with the case. The SSP confirmed that Nepal Embassy has been contacted for the same and a detailed investigation is underway. Giridih: Two wanted Maoists including a woman were arrested by police in Jharkhand's Giridih district, a senior police officer said Saturday. Two Maoists - Sonaram Marandi and Badki Devi alias Geeta were arrested in the raid conducted by police in Pirtand area on Friday, Superintendent of Police, Surendra Kumar Jha said. Both the Maoists had allegedly triggered blast in the SIS security guards vehicle in the district in 2010, which had claimed lives of four security guards, the SP said. Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday declared a 12-hour strike in Pathanamthitta district against a clash that broke out between the party's youth wing state president and police during a protest march. The bandh has been called from 6 am until 6 pm. A violence had marred the protest march taken out by activists of Yuva Morcha, the youth wing of BJP, to the house of Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB) president A Padmakumar at Aranumla in Pathanamthitta district, where police chased them away. The BJP state youth wing was protesting against the recent Sabarimala Lord Ayyappa Temple issue. According to Yuva Morcha, about 10 people, including its state president Prakash Babu, were injured in the melee. Rejecting the Opposition demand to file a review petition in the Supreme Court against its order, allowing women of all age groups into Sabarimala, the Kerala government had on October 3 said it would implement the verdict in the coming pilgrim season itself. A high-level meeting here of the Travancore Devaswom Board (TDB), which manages the Lord Ayyappa temple, also decided to make necessary arrangements for women pilgrims visiting the hill shrine when it opens for the annual pilgrimage season on October 16. Former Miss India and actress Tanushree Dutta on Saturday filed a police complaint against noted actor Nana Patekar, who she has accused of sexually harassing her on the sets of a Bollywood film in 2008. Popular choreographer Ganesh Acharya has also been named in the police complaint. The complaint was filed by the actress, who has featured in films like Aashiq Banaya Aapne and Dhol, at the Oshiwara police station in Mumbai, reported news agency ANI. This comes just hours after Nana Patekar broke his silence on the issue. Responding to questions on the allegations, the critically-acclaimed actor said, Jo jhuth hai woh jhuth hi hai (What is a lie is a lie only). Tanushree had earlier also named choreographer Ganesh Acharya, director Rakesh Sarang and producer Sami Siddiqui as accomplices in the harassment she faced. The actress had also alleged that while shooting for her debut film 'Chocolate' in 2008, filmmaker Vivek Agnihotri commanded her to strip and dance off-camera to give cues to her co-star Irfan Khan. Notably, Nana Patekar and Vivek Agnihotri have already sent legal notices to Tanushree, who had termed the move as ironical. I haven't really figured out how one tackles a situation where the offender takes a legal recourse. I am the one who is the aggrieved party and they are threatening legal action against me. Isn't this highly ironical? she had told news agency ANI. She has also said that it was not a sudden outbreak of her silence, instead she had tried to get justice when the incident happened. Even the police and the judiciary let me down. When the perpetrator filed a counter-FIR, I was advised to just keep quiet about it, she had said. Meanwhile, farm widows from Maharashtra have extended their support to Nana Patekar. The Vidarbha Farm Widows Association staged a demonstration at Pandharkavada village, demanding an end to "the victimisation of brother Nana Patekar." Last month, Tanushree accused Patekar of harassing her on the sets of their 2008 film Horn Ok Pleassss. NOIDA: Police on Saturday used tear gas on protesters who created ruckus after a Bajrang Dal worker was killed in Noida's Sector-8 on October 4. Speaking about the incident, Superintendent of Police (SP) Noida said that people created ruckus after a Bajrang Dal worker was killed and minimal force was used to disperse the crowd. The situation is now under control now, he confirmed. A 24-year-old Bajrang Dal worker was shot dead in Noida on Thursday. The worker was allegedly killed because he had complained about the gambling and illegal liquor trade. People had gathered to protest about police inaction on the situation. The deceased has been identified as Ajay Chaudhary, a resident of J J Colony in Sector 8. Chaudhary was called out his house at 9.30 pm on Thursday by Sarfaraz who took him outside to the other accused. "There they caught hold of him and Jeetu shot him in the chest while four more rounds were fired on him by others before they fled the spot brandishing the firearms," the police said. One of the neighbours who saw the incident rushed to help and alerted others. Soon Ajay was taken to hospital, where doctors declared him dead on arrival, the police said, citing the complaint. Those accused have been identified as Shehzaad, Ashraf, Zafar, Sartaj, Rafeeq, Jeetu Yadav, Sitabu while two others remained unidentified, the police said. "Three of them -- Zafar Ali, Sitabuddin Ansari and Sartaj Khan -- have been arrested," the police said. According to Vijay Chaudhary, his brother Ajay had made several complaints with the police as well as local authorities about the accused persons running betting racket, illicit liquor trade, drug trafficking and other illegal businesses. A case was registered at the Sector 20 police station which has lodged an FIR for murder and related offences. Scores of protesters reached the Noida Sector 20 police station and demanded strict action against the culprits and sought compensation for the family of the victim. "We have demanded Rs 1 crore in compensation to the family of the deceased along with a house. Ajay was staying with his old parents in a J J Colony and was the sole support for them as his elder brother lives in some other city," Umanand Kaushik, in-charge of Gautam Buddh Nagar unit of the Visva Hindu Parishad (VHP), said. "We have also demanded strict action against the errant police officials because Ajay had already made complaints to them. Had they taken some action, a precious life would not have been lost," Kaushik said. The protestors have submitted a letter of their demands, addressed to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, to the Noida City Magistrate. Taking note of the concerns raised by the protesters, the police have initiated an inquiry against the policemen concerned in the case. "The in-charge of police post Jhundpura in Sector 8 has been suspended while orders given for a departmental inquiry in the matter over the complaints of negligence by local police," a police spokesperson said. (With Agency Inputs) New Delhi: From working in Indian films for over three decades to achieving global fame with several international projects, veteran actor Anupam Kher, who is currently in the US shooting for his new American series "New Amsterdam", says he can never overlook Indian cinema for foreign projects. "It feels good when I get recognition for my international movies and shows, but for me, my own (Indian) cinema is very much important. When I am in some foreign country, I always introduce myself as, 'I am an international actor from India'. "Being an Indian actor, I cannot overlook our cinema. And I feel there is no dearth of South Asian actors in world cinema because it completely depends upon the person whether he/she wants to act in international projects or not. Our Indian cinema is self-sufficient in its own way," Anupam told IANS over phone from New York. After playing pivotol roles in Oscar-nominated Hollywood movies like "Silver Linings Playbook" and "The Big Sick", the 63-year-old is currently working in medical drama "New Amsterdam". According to Anupam, he has "reinvented" himself by essaying the role of Vijay Kapoor in the show. "Through 'New Amsterdam', one of the main things I have learnt is the relationship between doctors and patients. For this show, we are shooting in a real hospital, so I often get a chance to meet patients and doctors. Interacting with the patients made me understand the real value of relations and emotions. "Now I know what families go through if their loved ones are battling with some illness. I am evolving as a person with this project." As the show is already on air and is garnering great response from viewers, Anupam considers this project a "huge achievement". Like Anupam always says, "Kucch bhi ho sakta hai (anything can happen)", seeing his journey so far, he wonders how god has forever been kind to him. Be it his negative role in "Dushmani" or his comic avatar in "Haseena Maan Jayegi", the versatile actor, who has been entertaining people with his performances for over 30 years. He has also been feted with civilian honours like the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. "A young boy from Shimla who dreamt of becoming an actor, successfully paved a path in Bollywood and is now working in Hollywood. What else could I have asked for? I feel blessed that god has always been kind to me. This project has given me a different kind of achievement. I always wanted to do something different and now I have reinvented and explored my new side with 'New Amsterdam'," he added. Apart from his international projects, Anupam is also preparing for his next Hindi film "The Accidental Prime Minister", a biopic based on the life of former Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Anupam, who plays Manmohan Singh in the film, underwent transformation to get into the role. He says it is one of the most challenging roles he has ever done. The actor said: "It took 4-5 months to make my body language similar to Manmohanji and a complete month for having control over my voice. It was not like 'Go inside (the make-up room) and come out (dressed) as Manmohan Singh'. The character demanded huge hard work and I tried my best to play the role with sincerity and conviction. "Portraying Dr Manmohan Singh's life on-screen was like a scientist working on his/her discoveries and theories because it is not easy to represent someone who is known by the world. Manmohan Singh is a politician and leader of this generation. People know everything about him. I hope I have done justice to his character." Yavatmal: Bollywood actor Nana Patekar, accused of sexually harassing his co-star Tanushree Dutta a decade ago, on Saturday found support from unexpected quarters: farm widows of Maharashtra. The Vidarbha Farm Widows Association staged a demonstration at Pandharkavada village, demanding an end to "the victimisation of our brother Nana Patekar." The women raised slogans in favour of Patekar and said that Dutta is "unnecessarily defaming Patekar", a 'father-figure' who has been helping these women whose husbands committed suicides due to agrarian crisis. They also burnt photos and an effigy of Tanushree. Last month, Tanushree accused Patekar of harassing her on the sets of their 2008 film "Horn Ok Pleassss". She said she had raised her voice then too, but that was suppressed by people in powerful positions. In 2008, at a press conference to respond to the allegation, Nana had said that he was highly surprised at the charges by the actress, who he said was "my daughter's age. Police on Saturday arrested the Deputy engineer of Railway and his assistant in connection with the flex board mishap in Pune's Shivaji Nagar railway station. The incident took place on Friday when a hoarding collapsed near Shivaji Nagar station claiming the lives of four people and injuring nine. Five auto-rickshaws, two-wheeler, and a car were damaged in the collapse. "We have arrested one Sanjay Singh, a junior engineer of the Central Railways and his assistant, identified as Pandurang Wanare, who works as a 'lohar' (blacksmith) in the Railways in connection with the Friday's incident. "They have been arrested under the IPC section 304 (culpable homicide not amounting to murder)," said Jayashree Gaikwad, Assistant Commissioner of Police (Lashkar Division). The railways also announced a compensation of Rs 5 lakh for the deceased and Rs 1 lakh for injured. The deceased were identified as Shamrao Kasar (70), Shamrao Dhotre (48), Shivaji Pardeshi (40) and Javed Khan (40). On late Friday night, a case was registered against the railway officials, contractor and his workers who had been given the responsibility to dismantle the structure. A CR official said an inquiry has been initiated into the incident. (With Agency Inputs) New Delhi: Bhajan Samrat Anup Jalota, who broke all ties with his 28-year-old girlfriend Jasleen Matharu on Bigg Boss, on Friday rekindled his romance with her. They duo was seen having a patch-up on the show and were even sent for a romantic candle light dinner in the activity area that Bigg Boss arranged exclusively for them. Anup and Jasleen were seen getting extremely close and were seen to have let bygones be bygones. While Jasleen stated how she missed doing a romantic dance with her beau, Anup went on his knees with a red rose saying I love you to her. Now, as per latest reports, in the tonight episode, Bigg Boss will whisk Anup Jalota to a secret room and will make it look like he has been eliminated, leaving Jasleen alone. However, there is a twist to it. But he will be kept in a secret room and will keep a watch on everyone through a camera there. It appears like this way, Anup will test Jasleen's true love and admiration for him. Surbhi Rana, a wildcard entrant, has raised her doubts several times on Anup-Jasleen's love story. She is suspicious that their romance is all made up and is only for TRPs. It will be interesting to see if Surbhi's doubts get cleared in coming episodes. New Delhi: It is indeed a pleasant day for all the Kapil Sharma fans out there. The comedian took to Twitter on Saturday to announce that he will indeed be back with 'The Kapil Sharma Show'. Even though we don't know exactly when will Kapil return to give us our daily dose of laughter, what we do know is that it will happen soon. Fans have already started flooding the thread, expressing their happiness to hear the news. Kapil wrote, Jalad wapas aa raha hoon The Kapil Sharma Show lekar aap ke liye sirf @SonyTV par. @TataSky subscribers Sony TV ka mazza without any additional cost lijiye, Abhi call kariye 18002086633 or email contact@tatasky.com Jalad wapas aa raha hoon The Kapil Sharma Show lekar aap ke liye sirf @SonyTV par. @TataSky subscribers Sony TV ka mazza without any additional cost lijiye, Abhi call kariye 18002086633 or email contact@tatasky.com KAPIL (@KapilSharmaK9) October 6, 2018 The actor-comedian enjoys a massive fan following on social media. He has over 9.9 million followers on Instagram and 12.6 million on Twitter. Kapil's health had taken a toll due to which he had to take a break from the small screen. He now looks visibly heavier than before. After getting back to Mumbai, he even tweeted and briefed about having changed his lifestyle for good. Earlier this year, Kapil made his comeback with 'Family Time With Kapil Sharma', however, it didn't flag off as expected and it has reportedly gone off air. Many television celebs have supported Kapil, from Shilpa Shinde, Sugandha Mishra, Krushna Abhishek and Bharti Singh, to Sunil Grover, Kiku Sharda, Ali Asgarall have expressed their concerns about his health. Here's hoping the comedian returns to tickle our funny bones as soon as possible! A crisis that opened the gates for China The implosion of the western banking system was a stroke of good fortune Philip Stephens When historians cast around for 21st-century hinge points they will settle on two events during the late summer and early autumn of 2008. At the Beijing Olympics in August of that year China laid out its claim to be counted one of the worlds great powers. Weeks later, the wests assumption of global hegemony was laid low by the collapse of Lehman Brothers. Just as China began to push on the gates to power, the west threw them open. Fast forward a decade and the geopolitical map has been redrawn. The lavish spectacle of the Beijing games has slipped from memory amid anniversary ruminations on the causes and consequences of the financial crash. Yet the coincidence was pivotal; the wests lost decade became Chinas march to power. Between the turn of the millennium and 2008 the size of Chinas economy more than tripled. Hosting the Olympics was at once a celebration of this leap and a statement of intent. Topping the medals table, Beijing threw off the calculated modesty of the hide and bide policy pursued since Deng Xiaopings opening at the end of the 1970s. The occasion had been an essential expression of national self-confidence, I heard a senior Communist party figure say some time later. China had drawn a veil over the centuries of humiliation. The Peoples Liberation Army soon moved to assert historic, but hitherto passive, claims to island chains in the south and east China seas. The nine-dash line delineating Beijings assumed sovereignty over most of the South China Sea suddenly looked rather solid. President Xi Jinpings Belt and Road Initiative has since added an overarching geopolitical purpose to the countrys expanding economic reach. Visitors to Beijing are now invited to acknowledge the fact of Chinas great power status. Officials have shed their reluctance to speculate as to when China will overtake the US as the worlds largest economy. By these lights, the implosion of the western banking system in September 2008 was an extraordinary stroke of good fortune. The wars in Iraq and Afghanistan had badly dented Americas post-cold-war primacy. The financial crash was of a different order. It marked the collapse of the US-designed international system and of the liberal market worldview embedded in the Washington consensus. Previous crashes had hit Asia, or Latin America. This failure struck at the systems core. The resulting psychological boost for rising nations of the east and south and for none more than China was as significant as the heavy economic costs imposed on rich democracies by recession and austerity. China acted decisively to mitigate the deflationary impact of the crash. Europe opted for self-defeating fiscal austerity. The emperor had shed his clothes. The end-of-history theorising so fashionable after the fall of Soviet communism was revealed as hubris an impression bolstered further by the wests slide towards populism and beggar-thy-neighbour nationalism. Before the crash, Chinese policymakers never seemed quite sure how far they might have to travel towards liberal capitalism to sustain economic growth; nor were they certain they could hold the line against some loosening of control to the forces of democracy. The wests misfortunes removed the self-doubt. Mr Xi is unapologetic about state direction of the economy. He has tightened the partys grip on power. We can forget about any notion of democracy with Chinese characteristics. During the decade since the Olympics, the size of the Chinese economy has almost tripled again. The Belt and Road Initiative has emerged as a grand strategy to shrink the distance between east and west and thus establish China as the pre-eminent Eurasian power. Its military might still trail far behind the US, but Beijing is investing heavily in aircraft carriers and expeditionary capabilities. By many calculations its military budget is more than twice that of Russia and three times that of India. Washingtons rhetorical response has been to designate China, along with Russia, a strategic competitor a revisionist power intent on shaping a world antithetical to US values and interests, as the US National Security Strategy puts it. Donald Trump has slapped import tariffs on Chinese products in response to economic aggression. Yet all the while America has been surrendering its greatest advantage the network of alliances, treaties and norms underpinning a US-designed global system. Chinese officials once fretted it would take decades to undercut the world order established after 1945. China has few natural allies think Cambodia, Myanmar. The US, in theory, has dozens. Washington gave itself a leadership role in the big international institutions. China mostly sat at the other end of the table. Now, each successive attack by the US president on the post-1945 multilateral order creates more space for the new competitor. Beijing need not show fealty to a system now disavowed by the US. None of this predetermines Chinas trajectory. The country has its problems an ageing population, a deeply unequal distribution of its riches, and growling resentment in poorer nations at the political price Beijing extracts for financial largesse. All that said, if Mr Xi does stumble along the way, he can scarcely blame the west for failing to offer a helping hand. Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has assured that Balochistan will be given its due share in the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), adding that the agreement will be reviewed. According to Pakistan-based Geo News, Imran Khan gave the assurance during a meeting with members of Balochistan Cabinet. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief further said that the progress of Pakistan was linked with that of Balochistan. In September, a report in Financial Times had said that the Pakistan government would be looking to review the deals of the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and renegotiate a trade pact signed with Beijing a decade ago. The Pakistan Prime Minister reportedly constituted a nine-member committee to analyse the USD 62 billion project. Abdul Razak Dawood, an industrialist, who is a part of the committee, was quoted by The Financial Times as saying, "The previous government did a bad job negotiating with China on CPEC - they didn`t do their homework correctly and didn`t negotiate correctly so they gave away a lot." Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi indicated that Beijing would be willing to renegotiate the trade deal signed in 2006 with Islamabad. "CPEC has not inflicted a debt burden on Pakistan. When these projects get completed and enter into operation, they will unleash huge economic benefits," Wang said. Pakistan is currently reeling from a huge financial crisis. The new government is planning to approach the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for its 13th bailout in the last three decades, as the Pakistani rupee continues to weaken further in a volatile global financial market. (With agency inputs) Abu Dhabi: Saudi Arabia`s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman dismissed remarks by Donald Trump in which the US president said he had warned the king he would not last in power "for two weeks" without US military backing and demanded he pay up. "I love working with him. You know, you have to accept that any friend will say good things and bad things," Prince Mohammed said in a Bloomberg interview published on Friday. We believe that all the armaments we have from the United States of America are paid for, its not free armament. So ever since the relationship started between Saudi Arabia and the United States of America, weve bought everything with money, Prince Mohammed added. Trump made the comments at a rally in Mississippi on Tuesday. Despite the harsh words, the Trump administration has had a close relationship with Saudi Arabia, which it views as a bulwark against Irans ambitions in the region. Trump made Saudi Arabia his first stop on his maiden international trip as president last year. Saudi Arabia is the worlds top oil exporter and the de facto leader of OPEC, which has been criticised by Trump for high oil prices. The decision on pressure was supported even by those people's deputies, who declared their intention to run for the presidency of Ukraine - Tymoshenko, Lyashko, Derevyanko, and Chumak October 4, Ukraines Verkhovna Rada urged the countrys National Security and Defense Council to introduce sanctions against NewsOne and 112 Ukraine TV channels. If these sanctions are implemented, the leading information channels of the country will stop broadcasting. The rationale of the people's nominees, who voted for, remains unclear, as the media have not violated the current legislation. Serhiy Tomilenko, the head of the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine, many experts, and market participants assure. In fact, these sanctions are nothing but a political decision. 229 MPs supported the draft law No. 9157 on Approval of recommendations to introduce personal special economic sanctions and other restrictive measures (sanctions). The decision was supported even by those people's deputies, who declared their intention to run for the presidency of Ukraine. These people should have been among the first to stand up for freedom of speech. The hypocrisy of some deputies could be clearly traced if you compare their previous expressions on the freedom of speech. Yulia Tymoshenko is a famous activist for freedom of speech. She repeatedly accused the authorities of putting pressure on journalists and attempts to lock down the countrys information field. Of course, many have forgotten that, in 2009, then Prime Minister Tymoshenko successfully petitioned the court to banned criticism of herself. It served a precedent for the country. After defecting to the opposition, the discourse of Yulia Tymoshenko has changed dramatically. In 2019, Tymoshenko will run for the presidency and will certainly tell about how the authorities restrict freedom of speech, and that she has no place to speak, and so on. Keep in mind her vote on October 4, it is significant. * * * Oleh Lyashko, leader of the Radical Party was a journalist with work experience over many years. His voice calling for the freedom of speech was one of the loudest in Ukraine. You are the real conscience of the nation, you do not let the MPs forget their sins, he told the journalists, reproaching the authorities for pressure and attempts to influence the media. Next year, Oleh Lyashko, like Yulia Tymoshenko, qualifies for the presidents post. He is clamouring furiously about alleged suppression of his ratings and his potential to become president of Ukraine. * * * Yuriy Derevyanko, not affiliated with any faction, became one of the particularly prominent politicians supporting Mikheil Saakashvili, New Forces Movement leader, who started a rally in October last year near the Verkhovna Rada. Then he repeatedly stated that the authorities were blocking the dissemination of information about the relevant protest actions and did not give words to opponents. His rhetoric about Ukraines freedom of speech has intensified after the decision to run for president. Viktor Chumak is not affiliated with any faction. Earlier, he publicly called himself a fighter for freedom of speech and accused the authorities and opposition forces of a desire to put the Ukrainian media under supervision. "This has just never happened before!" he claimed. Volodymyr Ariyev is a Ukrainian peoples deputy from Petro Poroshenko Bloc. A few years ago he presented his own report on issues of freedom of speech and security of the journalists at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe(PACE). He is known as an arrant fighter against censorship in Ukraine since 2010. Then, he has expressed his concern on the pressure put on media by Yanukovych regime. The authority in the country has been replaced with the one which understands the democratic values and Ariyevs oratory has also changed a bit: he starts justifying the pressure put on media, yet he still considers himself their defender. The staff of 112 Ukraine TV channel insists that the steps made by the Ukrainian Parliament, which aim to apply sanctions against 112 Ukraine TV channel are nothing but a political decision; there is not enough evidence to make such decision, which badly lacks argumentation and may be considered unconstitutional. Donbas conflict zone, anthrax, restrictions of freedom of speech, Ukrainian political prisoners in Russia - the whole week on one page 1. Developments in Donbas conflict zone 2. Freedom of speech under threat in Ukraine 3. Sentsov ceases hunger strike 4. Anthrax outbreak 5. Hungarian Consul from Ukraine 6. Holodomor recognized in U.S. Senate About developments in Donbas conflict zone This week, Ukraine boasted a couple of victories on the battlefields in Donbas. A new TV tower, which made 190 meters in height has been built in the town of Hirnyk, Donetsk region; the new facility is supposed to broadcast the Ukrainian TV programs to the temporarily occupied territories of Donetsk region. It was also reported that since August, the Ukrainian military has increased the government-held territory of Donbas by more than 10 square kilometers. Certain events may just be referred to as memorable; specifically, Ukraines Envoy in Minsk talks group Leonid Kuchma left the negotiation group. The Ukrainian Parliament extended the special status of separate areas of Donbas for another year till December 31, 2019. U.S. and Canada urged Russia to stop the preparations to elections in republics in Donbas. *** About freedom of speech in Ukraine The staff of 112 Ukraine TV channel insists that the steps made by the Parliament are nothing but a political decision; there is not enough evidence to make such decision, which badly lacks argumentation and may be considered unconstitutional. 112 Ukraine TV channel published an open letter to attract public attention to the urgent need to protect one of the most popular Ukrainian TV channels. 112 Ukraine TV channel also turned for help to international organizations for the protection of journalist rights. Related: Freedom of speech under threat in Ukraine *** About Sentsov ceases hunger strike Political prisoner Klykh asked Sentsov to stop his hunger strike, which is very supportive as Ukrainian film maker is in a very bad health condition here are the photos of Sentsov, published on September 29. Media reported that Russia was ready to exchange him for three Russians convicted in the U.S., yet official Kremlin denied this information. On October 5, Russia informed that Sentsov ceased hunger strike. Ukrainian Ombudsman explained that it means he is in a critical condition. *** About On October 2, an outbreak of anthrax was spotted in Odesa region. The possible source of the disease is a domestic cow, who was slaughtered for meat. Later a woman with suspicion of anthrax was hospitalized in Zhytomyr region. *** Hungarian Consul from Ukraine On October 1, Hungary informed it would not withdraw its consul from Berehove due to the scandalous video about issuance of Hungarian passports to the Ukrainians. Later, Ukraine gave a response - if Hungarys Foreign Ministry does not withdraw its consul from Berehove, Ukraine will offer him to leave the territory. On October 4, Ukraines Foreign Ministry declared the Hungarian consul persona non grata and obliged him to leave Ukraine within 72 hours. And Hungary reacted to that the country expels the Ukrainian consul in Budapest. *** Holodomor recognized in U.S. Senate On October 4, the U.S. Senate recognized the Holodomor 1932-1933 as the genocide of the Ukrainian people. Later President Petro Poroshenko urged the EU member countries and the international organizations also to recognize this tragedy as genocide. *** Open source Some 8 of the 26 million working Ukrainians receive 'black' and 'gray' salary. This was stated by the Deputy Chairman of the State Fiscal Service of Ukraine Yevhen Bambizov, reports Dzerkalo Tyzhnya. He noted that as a result of inspections of business entities regarding the payment of salaries 'in envelopes', it was found that this practice takes place in 46 percent of checked enterprises and companies. 'According to the State Statistics Service, 8 million of the 26 million working Ukrainians are paid in envelopes - the entire salary or its part. That is, the scale is quite substantial,' Bambizov said as quoted by the outlet. As a result, local budgets do not receive huge amounts of taxes. Bambizov also noted that the penalty for each non-official employee is USD 4,000. Earlier, the State Statistics Service reported that the average salary in Ukraine was USD 320. At the same time, the highest average salary in Ukraine is in the Donetsk region. Also, Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman said that the minimum wage would be raised as soon as the economy allowed. Related: Ukraine's Parliament Chairman to sign decree on sanctions against 112 Ukraine and NewsOne Open source Germany has joined the British and the Dutch authorities in accusing Russia of instigating massive international cyber-attacks, Deutsche Wille reported. The Federal Government also believes that Russian military intelligence of GRU is likely standing behind APT28 company. This assessment is based on very reliable own facts and sources, claimed the representative of the German Government as quoted by DW. He noted that Berlin fully trusts the assessment of British and Dutch authorities regarding the cyber-attacks from the Russian side. We sharply condemn such attacks on international organizations and institutions of our allies and call on Russia to meet its responsibility and cease such actions, Seibert claimed. Related: U.K. accuses Russia's GRU of organization of worldwide cyber-attacks Earlier, the Netherlands announced the prevention of Russias cyber-attack at the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) and accused Russian Main Intelligence Directorate officers (GRU) of trying to get the information from the international investigation of the MH17 tragedy. It is expected that the diplomatic establishment will facilitate the Slovakian businesses interested in Kharkiv region The formal opening of the Honorary Consulate of Slovakia in Kharkiv is to take place in the nearest future. Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin claimed this on the air of one of the Ukrainian channels, Interfax-Ukraine reports. The consular office is to be formally opened in the nearest future - by the end of the year, since we are already finishing formal procedures. Todays visit of Miroslav (Miroslav Lajcak, the Slovakian foreign minitser, - 112 International) in Kharkiv is a political opening of this consulate, Klimkin said. Related: Ukraine's Consulate General opened in Edmonton, Canada According to the Minister, the Honorary Consulate will assist the Slovak businessmen interested in Kharkiv region, provide a possibility for Slovaks to better understand the peculiarities of this region, and get a consultation in case they need it. Earlier, it was reported that Moldova plans to open an Honorary Consulate in Kharkiv. Brussels offers to grant the countries of the Western Balkans the option of 'preliminary accession', in order to not exacerbate the conflict The European Union has to accelerate negotiations on the accession of the Western Balkan countries to the EU. Otherwise, another war can start in the region. President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker claimed this in Vienna on October 5, Bloomberg reports. According to the official, the European Union has to review the idea of the preliminary accession for the candidate states to the Union in order to increase their economic situation before the accession. Related: NATO not considering possibility of synchronized accession of Ukraine and Georgia into Alliance 'If we rob the western Balkan states of their accession perspective, if in this highly complex European area the impression emerges that were not serious about that perspective, we will later, or rather sooner, again experience what we had in the Balkans in the 1990s,' Juncker said. Only two former Yugoslav states, Slovenia and Croatia, have joined the EU so far. Serbia has so far opened 14 so-called 'negotiating chapters' with the EU, but its biggest hurdle is normalizing ties with Kosovo, which split away after the war almost 20 years ago and unilaterally declared independence in 2008. Serbia still considers Kosovo its administrative territory and does not recognize its independence. Open source Minister of Foreign Affairs Pavlo Klimkin rules out the possibility of closure of Russian consulates in Ukraine. He claimed this in the interview with one of the Ukrainian TV channels. First of all, we dont have diplomatic relations with Russia: we dont have ambassadors there, and the diplomats don't do any political or other activity. Our diplomats just help Ukrainians, in particular, the political prisoners. From the utilitarian perspective, it would be easier not to have our diplomats in Russia... but from the practical point of view, it is impossible not to have a representative or someone who can care about Ukrainians, he said. Related: Ministry of Health to attract $3.5 million for treatment of Ukrainians abroad The Minister reminded that almost three million Ukrainians stay in Russia despite the conflict in Donbas. Earlier, Ukrinform news agency published a video where a few Ukrainians get Hungarian passports and owe allegiance to Hungry in the Consulate in Berehove. The Hungarian diplomat recommended not to inform the Ukrainian authorities about receiving the new documents. Related: Ukraine's Consulate General opened in Edmonton, Canada Later, Pavlo Klimkin, the Foreign Minister, said that the video is being checked for the authenticity. If it is authentic, the Hungarian consul might be expelled from the country. In his turn, Peter Szijjarto, Hungarian Minister of Foreign Affairs, claimed the attempts to intimidate the Transcarpathian Hungarians and threatened to make Ukraines integration more complicated. Later it was also reported that for seven years, the Hungarian consulates in Berehove and Uzhhorod of Zakarpattia region have been granting Hungarian citizenship to local residents who are citizens of Ukraine. Related: Honorary Consulate of Slovakia to open in Kharkiv by late 2018, - minister Tamas Menczer, Hungarys Foreign Minister Spokesperson later reported that Hungary does not intend to withdraw its consul from Berehovo due to the scandalous video about the issuance of Hungarian passports to the Ukrainians. In its turn, Ukraine claimed that in case, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Hungary does not withdraw their consul from Berehove, Zakarpattia region, and then Ukraine will offer him to abandon the territory. Assyrian Organizations Ask Iraq to Recognize 1933 Massacre of Assyrians (AINA) -- A coalition of four Assyrian organizations from the Unites States, Canada and Europe has sent a letter to the Iraqi government asking for official recognition of the massacre of Assyrians by the Iraqi army in August, 1933. Called the Simmele massacre, it was conducted in the Assyrian town of Simmele and its surroundings by the Iraqi army and Kurdish and Arab irregulars, between August 7 and August 11 of 1933. At the time massacre drew world wide attention. It also drew the attention of Raphael Lemkin, the international lawyer who was moved to coin the term "genocide" as result of the Simmele Massacre and the Turkish massacre of Assyrians, Greeks and Armenians in World War One (AINA 2007-01-15) The letter, signed by the Assyrian American National Federation, The Assyrian Confederation of Europe, The Centre for Canadian-Assyrian relations and the Assyrian Policy Institute, states: This August will mark the 85th anniversary of Iraq's genocidal campaign targeting its Assyrian citizens. As many as 6,000 Assyrian civilians were systematically targeted and massacred on the orders of the Iraqi Army and tens of thousands of Assyrians were externally-displaced. Historical injustices against the Assyrian people in Iraq have lasting consequences that threaten their future. The Simele Massacre stands as an important reminder that crimes against humanity must not go without recognition, condemnation, and resolution. The massacre was carried out by the Iraqi Army, led by General Bakir Sidqi, a Kurd, and Kurdish and Arab irregulars. Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with Simmele Survivor. The letter states: Tragically, the anniversary of the Simele Massacre now coincides with the anniversary of the Yazidi Genocide of 2014 at the hands of the Islamic State (IS), which claimed the lives of thousands of innocent Yazidis. The Yazidi people were subject to unspeakable crimes, including mass executions and sexual enslavement, and many of those who survived were forcibly displaced. ISIS drove into the Nineveh Plains on August 7, 2014, massacring Yazidis and causing 200,000 Assyrians to flee their homes. Most have not returned. August 7 is Assyrian Memorial Day. The letter asks the Iraqi government to establish a commission to investigate the massacre and to allocate funds for a memorial for the victims of the massacre: We also call for the establishment of an impartial historical commission that includes Assyrian scholars to investigate the archives related to the Simmele Massacre of 1933, and ask that you address biased educational curricula related to Assyrians which omit historical injustices, consequently demeaning their position in Iraqi society and denying their rightful status as an indigenous component in Iraq. Finally, we ask the Iraqi Government to allocate funds for a permanent memorial honoring the victims of the Simmele Massacre of 1933 at the massacre site in Simmele, whilst offering a dignified reburial of the human remains which continue to lie in open view. This memorial should be designed and built by Iraqi citizens of Assyrian origin selected by the community. Mrs. Attiya Gamri, president of the Assyrian Confederation of Europe, told AINA that recognition of the massacre is neccessary to address the injustices against Assyrians, which continue to this day. "There can be no peace and no future for a country without justice," she said. Brazilian Democracy on the Brink Robert Muggah RIO DE JANEIRO With Brazils presidential and state elections just days away, the countrys citizens are frustrated, disillusioned, and angry. Many are taking to the streets, disgusted by years of cynical politics, breathtaking corruption, economic stagnation, and obscene levels of crime. Although roughly 85% of Brazils 147 million voters agree that the country is heading in the wrong direction, they are more polarized than ever, both online and offline. These deepening divisions threaten to squeeze the life out of democracy in South Americas largest country. Not since the restoration of democracy in 1985 has a Brazilian election been so contentious and unpredictable. At stake is the presidency, but also positions for 27 state governors, 54 senators and nearly 1,600 elected officials. Although 69% of Brazilians have faith in democracy, more than half admit they would go along with a non-democratic government so long as it solved problems. Despite efforts by a new generation of young leaders working to restore faith in democracy, Brazilians are ranked as the least trusting and most pessimistic people in Latin America today. And now, the rise of digital propaganda and fake news is making a bad situation much worse. Still, the suffocation of Brazilian democracy is not inevitable. While hard to imagine at the moment, its revival will require a combination of foresight, self-awareness, humility, and the courage to confront seemingly insurmountable class and racial divisions, and even rifts within families. Among the crop of presidential candidates in this cycle, a few thrive on division, while most including Marina Silva, the only woman in the race advocate a middle ground. Unfortunately, the populists are ascendant, and the pragmatists have struggled to break through. Opinion polls suggest that the election will most likely come down to a second-round contest between the ultra-right-wing populist Jair Bolsonaro and the left-wing Workers Party candidate Fernando Haddad, a former Sao Paulo mayor. Despite spending 27 years in government, Bolsonaro is campaigning as a drain the swamp outsider. With the blessing of former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, the jailed ex-leader of the Workers Party, Haddad is promising to restore economic prosperity. Although at least a third of Brazilians appear to be rallying around Bolsonaro, an even greater share of the electorate, including a growing coalition of women, adamantly opposes him. Bolsonaro has gained a surprisingly wide, and in some cases fanatical, following. Some of his base 60% of whom are men aged 16-34 share his worldview. Many Brazilians, including women, also like his tough on crime message. And many of the countrys business elite see Bolsonaro along with his running-mate, the retired army general Hamilton Mourao, and his Chicago School financial adviser, Paulo Guedes as a bulwark against the return of the Workers Party. It would be naive to dismiss Bolsonaro as a useful idiot for the conservative establishment. His turn to economic liberalism flies in the face of a long record of support for state-driven development. And, like US President Donald Trump, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte, and Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, Bolsonaro is an expert at sowing division. Following the populist playbook, he portrays Brazilian society as comprising two homogeneous and antagonistic groups: the real people and the elites. As Steven Levitsky and Daniel Ziblatt of Harvard University have shown, this attack on mutual toleration strikes at the foundation of democracy. Brazils three major political parties also share blame for the countrys deepening divisions. Faced with mounting corruption scandals, both Lula and former President Dilma Rousseff, also of the Workers Party, routinely invoked us-versus-them rhetoric. They dismissed damning evidence unearthed during the Operation Car Wash investigations as an elitist conspiracy against a popularly elected government. The countrys other two main parties, meanwhile, confirmed Workers Party supporters fears when they voted to impeach Rousseff in August 2016. What Workers Party loyalists described as an illegal coup reinforced Brazils divisions. The new government was itself soon ensnared in corruption scandals, and its popularity plummeted. For almost three decades, first as a city councilor and then as a congressman, Bolsonaro waited in the wings for precisely this moment. Promising clean government and law and order, and casting himself as the champion of the military and police, he has the credentials to lead an authoritarian backlash. Bolsonaro has repeatedly supported the military dictatorship that reigned from 1964 to 1985, when the government tortured and murdered its opponents. As far back as 1999, he called for the National Congress to be shuttered, and lamented that the dictatorship had not killed 30,000 more people, starting with former Brazilian President Fernando Henrique Cardoso. Moreover, in a country with the worlds highest number of police killings, Bolsonaro has openly supported expanding official impunity, saying that police who kill bandits should be awarded medals, not penalized. Despite soaring gun violence and 45,000 firearm-related homicides in 2018, he objects to all gun regulation and is the only candidate calling for repeal of the countrys Disarmament Statute, which is credited with saving more than 160,000 lives. And in a country that already has more than 725,000 people in jail, he wants to reduce the age of criminal liability from 18 to 16 or even 14 and, not surprisingly, wants to restore the death penalty. Having secured support from several influential evangelical leaders, Bolsonaro also supports religious interference in public life. Last year, Bolsonaro declared that Brazil is a Christian country; that there is no such thing as a secular state; and that those who disagree should leave or bow to the majority. He also adamantly opposes gay marriage, condones hate speech against LGBTQ people, and has been sanctioned no fewer than 30 times since 1991 by the Brazilian Bar Association for racism, xenophobia, and homophobia. In 2011, he said that he would rather have a dead son than a gay one. Bolsonaro also routinely taunts women about rape and expresses misogynist views. He once told a female fellow legislator, I wouldnt rape you because you dont deserve it, and he is on record calling a female journalist a whore. Furthermore, Bolsonaro is openly hostile toward Afro-Brazilian communities, indigenous populations, and members of landless movements, whom he has described as terrorists. Lastly, Bolsonaro fundamentally rejects climate science and favors Brazils withdrawal from the 2015 Paris climate agreement, claiming that climate change is a fable and nothing more than a globalist conspiracy. Brazils Congress, unlike the US Senate, actually ratified the Paris agreement, making withdrawal less likely. Even so, Bolsonaro and his three eldest sons all of them elected officials regularly describe global warming as a fraud. Bolsonaro is frequently characterized as a comical character or a Tropical Trump. But if one takes his record at face value, it should be clear that his candidacy is no laughing matter. Like Trump, he is more a symptom of division than a cause. Like Trump, he has said he will reject the elections outcome if he does not win. But he is also potentially more destructive than Trump, and Brazils democracy is much younger and more fragile than that of the United States. He was not considered a serious contender until quite recently just as few saw Trump coming until it was too late. Robert Muggah is the co-founder and research director of Instituto Igarape and a co-founder and principal of the SecDev Group. According to the second president of Ukraine, the resolution of the situation in Donbas depends not on the number of countries Open source It is unlikely that the negotiation format in Minsk for the resolution of the situation in Donbas, in particular that sponsored by the USA will be expanded. Leonid Kuchma, the second president of Ukraine and, until recently, the representative of the country in the Trilateral contact group (TCG) said that as Interfax-Ukraine reports. Do you really think that Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko wouldnt want the format to be, referring to our Budapest Treaty? He would. But Obama and Russia didnt want the United States of America to present the three... Of course, we would like Trump to take part (in funding of the negotiation group, - 112 International), Kuchma claimed. Related: Ukraine's evoy to Minsk talks ex-president Kuchma leaves the group Those who shout every day from the rostrum that we need another format (of the negotiation group, - 112 International), should just go on and agree with Trump', the former president added. Also, Kuchma said that 'the resolution of the situation in Donbas 'does not depend on the number of countries participating'. Related: No POW exchange before 2019 presidential election in Ukraine, - Kuchma The TCG includes the representatives of Ukraine, Russia, and OSCE who hold meetings in Minsk and discuss matters related to the resolution of the conflict in Donbas, including the exchange of hostages. Representatives of the occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions also take part in the work of the subgroup of the TCG. Leonid Kuchma, the second president of Ukraine (1994-2005) represented this country in the TCG until October 2018. The Minsk format talks were initiated after teh armed conflict in Donbas began in 2014. The officials are yet to discuss a new mechanism of introduction of the restrictions Open source On October 15, 2018, the EU member countries' foreign ministers are going to consider a new regime of the introduction of sanctions for the use of chemical weapons. This is mentioned on the website of the EU Council. Thus, the Council has to adopt a number of decisions without debates; among them, there is the said regime for the use of chemical weapons and the EU strategy on the interaction of Europe and Asia. Besides, it is planned to discuss the results of the past meetings of the UN General Assembly, the situation in Libya, Venezuela, and immigration developments. It is expected that 28 MFA Heads of the EU countries will be present at the meeting. Earlier, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko and Secretary of State for Defense of the United Kingdom Gavin Williamson discussed the strengthening of the sanctions against Russia due to the poisoning of ex-GRU officer Sergey Skripal and his daughter Yulia in Salisbury. Related: Hungary may be deprived of right to vote in EU Council As it was reported, Sergei Skripal and his daughter Yulia were poisoned in British Salisbury. Later, Theresa May, British PM, stated that Russia was responsible for that, and the investigation has confirmed the use of the Novichok nerve agent, which is produced in Russia. The Speaker of the Parliament Andriy Parubiy claims that signing of the document hampered by the registration of several decrees the Ukrainian Parliament to cancel the decision of the parliamentarians of October 4 regarding sanctions against these TV channels Chairman of the Ukrainian Parliament Andriy Parubiy will sign the decree on the approval of the offerings on the introduction of personal special economic and other restrictive measures to legal entities related to the television channels - after consideration of the submitted draft cancellation resolutions. The Speaker of the Ukrainian Parliament claimed this today during his working visit to Georgia, the press office of the Ukrainian Parliament reported. In particular, Parubiy told reporters that two resolutions were registered regarding the repeal of this parliamentary decision in accordance with the Law of Ukraine on the Sanctions. Related: Sanctions appeal against 112 Ukraine, NewsOne not sent to National Security and Defence Council According to him, in order to sign the primary decision, these decisions must be presented to the Ukrainian Parliament and rejected. Yet, Parubiy noted that the consideration of the relevant decrees will take place on the nearest plenary week; he said he was sure that they would be rejected. I have no doubt that they will be rejected - at the same time, it gives me the opportunity to sign the decree on the sanctions, and it is already taking efffect. I am sure that the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine wont hesitate to study this situation and make the appropriate decision. Earlier, Oleksandr Turchynov, the Secretary of National Defense Council, said that the appeal of the Ukrainian Parliament to the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine concerns only the founders of 112 Ukraine and NewsOne TV channels. Related: 112 Ukraine TV channel needs protection: Open letter Ukraines Verkhovna Rada urges the countrys National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine to introduce sanctions against several Ukrainian TV channels. 229 MPs supported the draft law No. 9157 on 'Approval of recommendations to introduce personal special economic sanctions and other restrictive measures (sanctions)'. CEO of 112 Ukraine TV channel Yegor Benkendorf stated that the attempt to stop the operation of 112 Ukraine is a part of a large-scale process and concerns an unsatisfactory situation with the respect of freedom of speech in Ukraine. According to him, 112 Ukraine TV channel has to confirm the impossibility to protect its rights independently by legal tools, and soon, it might lead to cessation of the broadcasting. Related: NSDC must appoint expertise of 112 Ukraine and NewsOne, - ex-prosecutor general The appeal was sent to the President of the European Commission Donald Tusk, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini, the Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjrn Jagland, the President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe Liliane Maury-Pasquier, President of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe Marija Pejcinovic Buric, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet, Coordinator of the Europe and Central Asia Program of the Committee to Protect Journalists Nina Ognianova, General Secretary of the International Federation of Journalists Anthony Bellanger. Related: OSCE concerned about Ukrainian parliaments call for sanctions against 112 Ukraine 112 Ukraine TV channel emphasizes again that it was following the principles of the journalistic work, giving an opportunity to express ones opinion for all the Ukrainian politicians, the representatives of the governmental bodies and independent experts during its existence. Also, the channel does not avoid covering acute political and social issues, and such position of the TV channel cases and will cause opposition from individual politicians and political forces. *** The staff of 112 Ukraine TV channel insists that the steps made by the Ukrainian Parliament, which aim to apply sanctions against 112 Ukraine TV channel are nothing but a political decision; there is not enough evidence to make such decision, which badly lacks argumentation and may be considered unconstitutional. Related video: 112 Agency Two explosions took place in the Iraqi city of Fallujah, in the province of Salah al-Din. One person deceased, and at least 16 sustained injuries. AP reported that, referring to the local police. 'Police said two bombs exploded in the former strongholds of the Islamic State group in central Iraq, killing one person and injuring at least 16,' the report said. The explosion of a parked car was reported in the city of Fallujah to the west of Baghdad. Two guards and three civilians were injured. Another attack was aimed at a bus that transported employees of the Al-Siniyah oil refinery in the area of Beiji in the province of Salah al-Din. As a result of this terrorist attack, one worker died and another 11 were injured. The attack occurred on the Beiji highway, north of Baghdad. At the moment, none of the terrorist organizations have yet claimed responsibility for the attacks. In September, Iran attacked the base of the Kurdish opposition group in northern Iraq; 11 people were killed and 20 to 30 got injured. Related: Russia not yet provided information on Balukh's health, - Ukraine's ombudswoman 112 Agency The Light Avalanche 2018 military drills took place at the International Center for Peacekeeping and Security of the National Academy of Ground Forces named after Hetman Petro Sagaidachny. Tysa division of the multinational engineering battalion took part in the drills. The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine reported this on Facebook. 'The servicemen of the armed forces of Romania, Slovakia, Hungary and Ukraine improved their skills in using the multinational engineering battalion Tysa in the aftermath of a natural disaster in the Tysa river basin,' the representatives of the Ukrainian military stated. According to the legend of the exercise, the engineering battalion conducted the elimination of the effects of flooding. The exercises were conducted in conditions as close to the real ones as possible, using the actual engineering equipment. 'A special feature of the exercises was that we are connecting two bridges of different types: the heavy mechanized and the pontoon; we are working on the issue of evacuating the victims from the island using a helicopter, as well as evacuating the equipment and property from flooded territories,' said Major General Oleg Mikats, the deputy commander of the Operational HQ of the Western Direction. Earlier, the National Security and Defense Council Secretary Oleksandr Turchynov said that the Ukrainian military would conduct large-scale exercises in the Sea of Azov. Related: Investigation launched against EBRD head Chakrabarti, - Reuters Radio Liberty Russia has not yet provided information on the state of health of the Ukrainian political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh. Lyudmila Denisova, the representative of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights posted that on Facebook. 'I am concerned that there is still no news from the Russian Federation about Volodymyr Balukh and his state of health. For months, I've been demanding to give me the opportunity to visit a political prisoner and receive information about his health. Instead, answers without any specifics come from the Russian Federation,' she wrote. Denisova said that now the Ombudsman in the Russian Federation Tatyana Moskalkova appealed to the director of the Federal Service for the Execution of Punishments with a request to allow Denisova to visit the prisoner. 'I continue to insist on a simultaneous visit to Balukh and Vyshynsky (Kyrylo Vyshynsky, the editor-in-chief of RIA News agency, detained in Ukraine, - 112 International). Thus, I will be able to personally meet with the Ukrainian, who is starving for 202 days in a row. At the same time, the Commissioner in the Russian Federation will be able to visit Vyshynsky,' the Ombudsman stressed. According to her, the head of RIA Novosti Ukraine, Kyrylo Vyshynsky, who is suspected of treason has no health problems. 'And I know for sure that he doesnt complain about the deterioration of his health. Ive already visited him twice. My representatives constantly communicate with him and give him the necessary high-quality medicines. For 4.5 months the doctors examined Kirill Vyshinsky 9 times. This is confirmed by a medical certificate, and I have my hands on it,' she concluded. On Wednesday, October 3, the 'Supreme Court of Crimea' softened the sentence for Ukrainian political prisoner Volodymyr Balukh, cutting it down for one month. Related: Ukraine's Parliament Chairman to sign decree on sanctions against 112 Ukraine and NewsOne Ukraine may introduce biometric visas for citizens of the Russian Federation. Pavlo Klimkin, Foreign Minister of Ukraine said this on the air of 'UA: Kharkiv'. According to him, the biometric control system on the border with Russia proved to be effective, since a data bank with biometric information is being created. This is justified, taking into account the recent case of poisoning of the former GRU Colonel Sergei Skripal, the minister said. 'We are creating a data bank, we are well aware that there can be manipulations, as you can see. If there is biometric data, we know perfectly well what kind of people are we talking about, and just changing documents will not help them,' said Klimkin. At the same time, the minister insists on the need for prior approval of the visits of Russians to Ukraine. According to him, currently, the authorities provide control of the movement of those citizens of the Russian Federation who appear to be possible suspects. 'But, of course, its quite difficult to keep track of everyone. Ordinary visas with Russia will not help us ... if its not efficient enough, we will need to think about introducing biometric visas,' he added. Earlier, the Ukrainian political prisoner in Russia Stanislav Klykh wrote a letter to another Ukrainian prisoner, film director Oleg Sentsov , in which he thanked him for his hunger strike, which now makes the problem of Ukrainian political prisoners get more attention worldwide. The text of the letter was published by human rights activist Maria Tomak on Facebook. According to her, she received this letter from Klykh's mother, Tamara Klykh, who visited her son in Russia. 'It did not got into Olegs hands before he stopped the hunger strike, but I hope he will receive it after in kind of moral support,' Tomak wrote. In the letter, Klykh asks Sentsov to stop the hunger strike and thanks for the fact that after it began, the problem of the Ukrainian political prisoners received more attention. 'If you have very bad health, I would ask you to stop the hunger strike. We dont need your death, your mom and children need you. Im not judging you if you stop the hunger strike, but nevertheless, I understand that you are annoyed because of the promise of speedy release in letters. I also receive such letters and it is also annoying, but you need to understand that people who write letters from all over the world wish us good things,' Klykh wrote in the letter. The enemy performed one shell using weapons prohibited by the Minsk Agreements Open source During the current day, from 7 a.m. through 6 p.m., Russian occupation forces shelled the JFO positions four times, as a result, one Ukrainian serviceman was injured. The press office of the Joint Forces Operation reported this on Facebook. The rival opened aimed fire from grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms at Vilny farmstead; shelled the stronghold in Marinka from small arms; used 82mm mortars, the weapons of infantry fighting vehicles, grenade launchers, heavy machine guns and small arms at the positions in the area of Pavlopil, and used mounted grenade launcher against the defenders of Hruntove. One Joint Forces serviceman received injuries in the afternoon during hostilities, the HQ reported. Reportedly, over the last day, the illegal armed formations violated ceasefire regime 20 times, as a result, three Ukrainian servicemen were injured. A photo exhibition by former LA Times photojournalist, Don Bartletti, documenting Central American stowaways on Mexican freight trains. Bartletti shares stories from his 30-plus year career. Join us Friday, October 5, 6:00 pm 8:00 pm for the opening of Enriques Journey, a photo exhibition by former LA Times photojournalist, Don Bartletti, documenting Central American stowaways on Mexican freight trains. Bartletti will share stories from his 30-plus year career as a photojournalist. The exhibit opens October 5 and runs through December 28, 2018 at the New Mexico Humanities Council, 4115 Silver SE, Albuquerque. Visitors are welcome Monday through Friday, 9:00 am 4:00 pm. In the vast migration thats changing the face of America, thousands of Central Americans annually attempt a harrowing 1,500-mile journey through the length of Mexico on the tops of freight trains. Nearly all are visited by cruelty, hunger and fatigue. Stowaways call the unscheduled train they run to catch La Bestia or The Beast. Some are maimed or killed by the iron wheels. In the states of Chiapas and Oaxaca, Mara Salvatrucha gangsters, corrupt immigration and police officers and opportunist citizens hunt them like animals. By contrast, in the state of Veracruz trackside residents throw gifts of food, water and clothing to migrants as the train passes by. Among these migrants are children as young as 12 who travel alone. Most are trying to find parents usually mothers - who left them behind years ago to work in the U.S. For children, the dream of reunification becomes the quest for the Holy Grail. Success comes only to the brave and the lucky. In 2003, Bartlettis six-part photo essay in the Los Angeles Times, Enriques Journey was awarded a Pulitzer for Feature Photography. Bartletti was the first U.S. photojournalist to document the ongoing Central American diaspora of children clinging to freight trains and their dreams of crossing into the U.S. Bartletti has an interesting New Mexico connection, too. In 2003, he was assigned to photograph legendary New Mexico author, Tony Hillerman, for a Los Angeles Times Travel Section story written by Hillerman. Bartletti will share with exhibit reception guests his wild adventure in the Sandia Foothills capturing the portrait of a New Mexico treasure. Enriques Journey exhibition is part of the "Democracy and the Informed Citizen" initiative, which is administered by the Federation of State Humanities Councils. The series is aimed at deepening the public's knowledge and appreciation of the interconnections joining democracy, the humanities, journalism and an informed citizenry. Special thanks go to The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation for its generous support of the initiative and to the Pulitzer Prizes for their partnership. Thanks, too, to the City of Albuquerque's KiMo Theatre as a major sponsor of the series. press release Washington, DC On Tuesday, July 24, 2018, Corporate Council on Africa hosted a working group on Investment Opportunities in Eritrea, with guest speaker, Dr. Woldai Futur, Director, Eritrean Investment Center. CCA President and CEO, Florie Liser delivered the opening remarks, noting the historic change in the relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia and its implications for investment in Eritrea. Before introducing the Eritrean delegation, Carol Pineau of Africa Today TV recounted her experience in Eritrea in 1998, when the war started, and recently in 2016, 18 years later. She described Eritrea as "a country that is self-actualized" and urged participants to "leave [their] assumptions at the door. The reality is completely different: roads are good, markets are doing well, and people talk freely about their country." She stressed the importance of understanding that Eritrea is a country that for the past sixteen years has been ready for peace and ready for business, going further to say that before the war, Eritrea was known for promoting the idea of 'trade over aid'. In his opening remarks, Dr. Futur thanked CCA for hosting such a historic meeting He acknowledged that Eritrea has had to play "catch up" with respect to integration into the global economy, but emphasized that "the engine of growth [in Eritrea] is the private sector", noting that from 1991-1998, the economy grew by 11%. The newly established relationship between Eritrea and Ethiopia has significant implications for Eritrea's ability to establish new trade/investment relationships globally. In 1991, Eritreans met in Asmara and debated what approach to take towards economic development. They chose an open-market economy-based approach. This strategy, he believes, will achieve the results Eritrea needs across various sectors. He highlighted the key role agriculture plays in ensuring food security in Eritrea, noting that investment in water harvesting techniques would significantly impact the agribusiness sector. He also acknowledged the potential of the Red Sea with regards to the fishing industry. Dr. Futur indicated that investment opportunities also exist in the travel and tourism industry, as well as the manufacturing industry. "We need manufacturing to solve the problem of the labor market", he said. He highlighted the textile and leather manufacturing industries and packaging industry as viable areas for investment. He stressed the need for financing within the mining industry, specifically with regards to mineral extraction. In closing, he affirmed that the peace dividend and the normalization of relations with Ethiopia will have massive implications for Eritrea and ended with a call to private sector stakeholders to invest in Eritrea's emerging sectors. Moving Downtown Homes and condos sprout where factories once stood. by Julie Halpert Published in October, 2018 Within just a few short blocks of downtown Dexter, eleven acres of land that were once used for industrial operations are being transformed into housing developments. At 150 Jeffords, where dilapidated trailers and commercial buildings once stood, there will be a four-story building with commercial space at ground level and twenty-two residential units above. Just a block away, at 3045 Broad St., there's a plan to build up to ninety new condominiums on the site of the old DAPCO factory. Just past Forest Lawn Cemetery, two duplexes under construction are the first of seventy-six units in a development called Grandview Commons. From there, it's a quick walk to Main St. "There will be a lot of activity in a small area," says Michelle Aniol, Dexter's community development manager. With no residential units currently available downtown, the developments will help to satisfy growing demand. Dexter, Chelsea, and Saline are beginning to mirror larger cities, with new housing intertwined with old commercial districts. As more people crave to live in downtowns, developers are turning to former industrial properties to meet the need. Once, workers walked to their jobs here. Now, new upscale abodes offer an easy walk to downtown restaurants, shops, and cultural amenities. At the old DAPCO site, Norfolk Homes has a concept plan that includes eighty to ninety condos, plus retail and office space. The city, which owns the land, entered into a predevelopment agreement with Foremost Development Company in 2015, but the developer and the city agreed to let it lapse. Aniol says Foremost had a preconceived vision--luxury apartments--that wasn't what the city wanted. Norfolk, she says, is working with the city to develop a project that responds to the community's needs. It's holding a series of community engagement workshops to get input on a suitable density and scale. The goal is to start construction in roughly a year. "Norfolk has been fantastic. They learned a lot about the community, and the community learned about what's possible," ...continued below... says Zach Michels, a city council member who served on the site committee. He says the new developments will serve people who are eager to move from the newer subdivisions on the outskirts and will help keep downtown vital. With more than 150 units between the Grandview and DAPCO sites, he says, "that's a lot of money that comes in to support local businesses."The units at Grandview Commons--duplexes, townhomes, and condos--are being built by A.R. Brouwer on the site of the former Sweepster/Pilot factory. It's a $22-$25 million project. So far, two of the four duplex units have been sold, and tenants are expected to move in by December. Steve Brouwer, the company's founder and president, says a one-bedroom, 1,050-square-foot unit is $284,000, while a 2,650-square-foot three-story townhome will cost $599,000. All the units have granite countertops and stainless-steel appliances and several will have views of Mill Creek.To fit in with Dexter's historic architecture, there will be gabled roofs on all Grandview Commons units and an extensive use of brick. But though Brouwer's project met all the city requirements, Michels feels the development is too suburban "and looks like it belongs more in Pittsfield Township instead of two blocks from downtown."There's also concern about the price. Michels, director of planning and zoning for Dexter Township, would have preferred a denser development, with more and less expensive units. Brouwer acknowledges that higher density could bring down the housing costs, but says his company must meet zoning, engineering, and landscaping requirements, and more residents would require more parking. A park area, which the city council wanted, also took away room for housing.Downtown living isn't new--some downtown buildings have upstairs apartments that date back a century or more. Those are more affordable, but they aren't abundant. Aniol says city council plans to set up a committee to explore housing affordability. The key, she says, is to determine whether a firefighter, teacher, or owner of a local coffee shop can afford to live downtown. The city doesn't want only the wealthy living downtown: "We want a nice, healthy, diverse mix of people. That makes for a more vibrant city."---In Chelsea, developer Joe Ziolkowski is redeveloping the Mack Building, on the corner of Main and Jackson. It was built in 1901 by the Chelsea Manufacturing Company and most recently was Longworth Plating. As manufacturers moved to more flexible and accessible buildings in industrial parks, it sat vacant for six years before the city bought in 2008.Ziolkowski previously bought and rehabbed the former police station on Middle St. Disturbed by the languishing Mack Building, he thought, "I can either keep looking at it or try to do it myself," adding that its high visibility on Main St. was "really a black eye on the city." He purchased the 7,700-square-foot building in August 2015. The redevelopment is a $1.7 million-plus project; the city is paying $260,000, while the Michigan Economic Development Corporation is providing $680,000 in grant money for blight elimination. There will be four apartments upstairs, while the first floor will have three or four food-oriented businesses. The project is due to be completed by March 2019.A condition of the Mack Building grants is a historic preservation review, ensuring that the work is faithful to the building's original character. While the interior has been gutted and reframed to ensure it is structurally sound and up to code, the building's shell remained intact, keeping the original facade.Ziolkowski says he could have built a new structure for half the cost of preserving and updating the old one. But there was grant money available to help with that--and a new building "would never quite have the [same] feel or history."Chelsea city councilmember Tony Iannelli says developers always need to weigh whether it's more cost effective to remodel or build something new. But, he says, Chelsea has a "unique, small-town charm to it, and any of the residents you would talk to would want to preserve that as much as possible." And with a shortage of residential options downtown, he sees the appeal to refurbishing old buildings for residential use.Jan Bernath, who is on the board of the Chelsea Area Historical Society, says these types of renovations help connect the town to its past and provide diversity in architecture. Society member Kathy Clark, who has written extensively about Chelsea's history, is disappointed that the building was allowed to deteriorate so badly. "It's totally gutted, and all the [interior] remnants are gone." Bernath acknowledges that it's "a shell of its former self, but architecturally, it's still a contribution to the visual landscape."Another industrial-to-residential conversion may be on the horizon. Iannelli says Norfolk Homes has bought the Rockwell Building on Railroad St., built in 1906 and originally part of the Glazier Stove campus. The company is contemplating converting it to condos, with construction to possibly begin next year. (Norfolk did not respond to requests for comment.)---In Saline, the residential vacancy rate downtown is less than 10 percent, says Holli Andrews, executive director of Saline Main Street, a nonprofit focused on the revitalization of downtown Saline. The more people living downtown, the better it is for small businesses, she says. As in Dexter and Chelsea, developers are looking at former factory sites to accomodate them.An industrial site on Maple between Michigan Ave. and Woodland recently housed the Department of Public Works, a police station, and a senior center. Now it is being turned into a model inclusive development. Vacant since 2007, it was sold to Three Oaks Communities in October 2017, and the company began construction that month.Three Oaks founder Bill Godfrey says they are the first private developer to build a neighborhood of homes for the general public that also includes customized homes for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The neighborhood, called Maple Oaks, will include ten single-family homes, sixteen townhomes, and eight condos set up in a multifamily format with large community rooms for special-needs adults. Construction costs will exceed $7 million.Godfrey says the idea emerged after he met with families in Saline who needed housing and services for their special-needs adult children. It's personal for him: His uncle was intellectually disabled, and his mother, aunt, and sister managed his care after Godfrey's grandparents could no longer do so. Maple Oaks will have a community room staffed by a caregiver, security systems, heated bathroom floors, lower countertops, and ADA-standard handicapped accessibility. Godfrey says the entire development is already reserved, and 62 percent of the buyers have no connection to special needs. "The Saline community has embraced this," he says. Single-family homes start at $250,000 for a three-bedroom, two-bath, 1,600-square-foot ranch. Condos start at $175,000; the first is slated to be finished within the next four months, with completion of the entire neighborhood expected by the end of 2019.Saline Mayor Brian Marl says the response to Godfrey's development "has been overwhelming. It's a marvelous addition to the community," providing housing for a demographic that's often overlooked. He expects it will be a model emulated elsewhere. The fact that it sold out immediately also speaks to the desire to live in downtown Saline, he adds.There's also possible future housing at 147 Michigan Ave. Guenther Homes purchased the land in July 2017. Brian Brickley, sales manager for Guenther, says the company hasn't yet decided what to build, but one option is a mix of condos and retail.---Redeveloping old factory sites often requires some kind of environmental cleanup--and sometimes, a lot. Five years ago, plans to build luxury condos on the site of the former Universal Die Casting factory were derailed by contamination left from a chrome-plating operation. Dexter's Aniol says most such "brownfield" cleanups tend to be very straightforward. "It's like following directions on making a cake. You follow the directions and end up with a really good cake," she says. An extensive amount of cleanup was required in preparation for Grandview Commons, says Brouwer, including trucking a great deal of soil contaminated primarily with petrochemicals to a landfill in Salem Township.In Chelsea, Ziolkowski says the environmental report on the Mack Building site "wasn't as scary" as he expected. The remediation involves capping soil contaminated with heavy metals with a layer of concrete. This exceeds state environmental requirements by adding an additional concrete slab on top of an existing one, he says.Iannelli says the former Federal Screw Works property in Chelsea, built in 1916, would make for an ideal residential development. All but two of the buildings were demolished, and they have been vacant since 2005. But he says it cannot be used for housing due to extensive contamination.Bernath disagrees and has been active, along with Clark, in trying to preserve the buildings. The company's "office on Congdon St. is the last Art Nouveau building we have in town," she says. She adds that while there is now a deed restriction in place that excludes residential development, the DEQ has told her that a developer could work with it on a plan to use tax credits and grants for mitigation and cleanup. She says using only the second floor for residences would make the cleanup less arduous.Despite the challenges involved in cleanup and preservation, many, like Bernath, view redeveloping industrial sites as a worthwhile way to keep their cities vital and relevant. She sees the trend of residents migrating downtown as reminiscent of her youth. Now seventy-eight, she lived above a grocery store in Chelsea in 1947. "It's the new urbanism," she says. [Originally published in October, 2018.] YEREVAN, OCTOBER 6, ARMENPRESS. Francophonie events will take place in Armenia on October 7-12. Secretary General of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia and the general coordinator of the preparatory works for the Summit of La Francophonie Vahagn Melikyan gave an interview to ARMENPRESS. - Mr. Melikyan, when did the preparatory works kick off and at which point are they now? - The preparatory works of the 17th summit of the Francophonie kicked off 1.5 years ago. Today we have reached a point when we make the final adjustments and corrections so as we manage to carry out this responsible task with honor. Such a large-scale event has never been held in Armenia. There over 40 Heads of State and Heads of Governments, Foreign ministers, representatives of different levels that have arrived and will arrive in Armenia. We expect 1000s of guests. In short, we are ready to host Francophonie summit. -What kind of events will be held on October 7-12? -The summit will take place on October 11-12, but the main events will kick off on October 7. The 105th session of the Permanent Council of Francophonie will take place on October 7. This is the gathering of the representatives of the Francophone countries and one of the 3 bodies. On October 8-9 we will hold the 35th session of the foreign ministers and the economic forum will take place on October 10, as well as the round table of the digital ministers of the Francophone countries and the summit is on October 11-12 with the participation of the Heads of State and Governments. Francophonie Village is also quite a massive event, which will be located at the Freedom Square. This is a unique zone where the representatives of the Francophone countries will present their culture, traditions, cuisine, sights and interesting information about their countries. There will be a stage installed there, where artists and different groups from the universities and colleges of our Francophonie countries will perform. I will not open the brackets fully in order to preserve excitement. The entry is free for all and the Francophonie Village will start operating from October 7, but the official opening ceremony will take place on October 9 with the participation of Armenian FM Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and OIF Secretary General Michaelle Jean. We have organized a major gala concert on October 11 at the Republican Square where the entry is free also for our public and this concert will be unprecedented by its scale and representation. To the question how many guests are expected to arrive, Vahagn Melikyan said that they expect 3500 people, which is a record high number compared with the previous 16 summits, adding that the recent developments in Armenia have raised the interest towards Armenia. The general coordinator of the preparatory works for the Summit of La Francophonie said that October 11-12 are non-working days in Armenia in order to ensure the movement of the delegations, as well as the people. Yerevan is hosting the XVII International Organisation of La Francophonie summit October 7-12. Armenia is a member of the organization since 2008. The International Organisation of La Francophonie represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. Its members share more than just a common language. They also share the humanist values promoted by the French language. The French language and its humanist values represent the two cornerstones on which the International Organisation of La Francophonie is based. The International Organisation of La Francophonie was created in 1970. Its mission is to embody the active solidarity between its 84 member states and governments (58 members and 26 observers), which together represent over one-third of the United Nations member states and account for a population of over 900 million people, including 274 million French speakers. OIF organizes political activities and actions of multilateral cooperation that benefit French-speaking populations. Its actions respect cultural and linguistic diversity and serve to promote the French language, peace and sustainable development. IOF has concluded 33 cooperation agreements with international and regional organisations and has established permanent dialogue between the major international linguistic zones (the English, Portuguese, Spanish, and Arab-speaking zones). The IOF has its head office in Paris as well as four permanent representations in Addis Ababa (at the African Union and at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa), in Brussels (at the European Union), in New York and in Geneva (at the UN). It has three regional offices (West Africa ; Central Africa and Indian Ocean ; Asia-Pacific) located respectively in Lome (Togo), Libreville (Gabon) and Hanoi (Vietnam) and two regional antennas in Bucharest (Romania) and in Port-au-Prince (Haiti). Alongside the IOF, the Parliamentary Assembly of La Francophonie and the four direct operators are responsible for implementing the programs decided at the Summits. The four direct operators are : the Academic Agency of La Francophonie, TV5Monde, the International Association of Francophone Mayors and The Senghor University of Alexandria. 58 Member States and Governments : Albania, Principality of Andorra, Armenia, Kingdom of Belgium, French Community of Belgium, Benin, Bulgaria, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Canada-New-Brunswick, Canada-Quebec, Cape Verde, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, , Cyprus, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Dominica, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, France, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Laos, Lebanon, Luxembourg, former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Madagascar, Mali, Morocco, Mauritius, Mauritania, Moldova, Monaco, Niger, New-Caledonia, Qatar, Romania, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Sao Tome and Principe, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, Vanuatu, Vietnam. 26 Observers : Argentina, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Canada-Ontario, South Korea, Costa Rica, Croatia, Czech Republic, Dominican Republic, Estonia, Georgia, Hungary, Kosovo, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, Mozambique, Poland, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Thailand, Ukraine, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay. Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan Japanese troops are in the Philippines for an exercise with Filipino and US troops. They brought armoured vehicles with them, marking the first time Japanese armour has landed on foreign soil since World War II. The US stressed that the exercise is not directed at anyone, but it comes amid heightened tensions with China. A small contingent of Japanese troops and armoured vehicles engaged in military exercises with the US and the Philippines in the Philippines on Saturday, assisting in a humanitarian role during an amphibious exericse simulating recapturing territory from a terrorist group. A total of about 150 troops took part in the landing on Saturday. Fifty Japanese troops, unarmed and in camouflage, followed four of their armoured vehicles ashore, moving over beach and brushland while picking up Filipino and US troops playing wounded. Japanese Maj. Koki Inoue stressed that Japanese personnel weren't involved in the combat portion of the exercise but added that the drills were the first time the Japanese military's armoured vehicles had been used on foreign soil since World War II. After being defeated in that war, Japan adopted a pacifist constitution. Japan Ground Self-Defence Force amphibious assault vehicle landing "Our purpose is to improve our operational capability, and this is a very good opportunity for us to improve our humanitarian assistance and disaster relief training," Inoue said, according to AFP. The exercise, called Kamandag - an acronym for the Tagalog phrase, "Kaagapay Ng Mga Mandirigma Ng Dagat," which translates to "Cooperation of Warriors of the Sea" - started in 2017 and has focused on counterterrorism, disaster response, and interoperability. This year's iteration of the exercise runs from October 2 to October 11, and the US has said it is not directed at any outside power. "It has nothing to do with a foreign nation or any sort of foreign army. This is exclusively counter-terrorism within the Philippines," 1st Lt. Zack Doherty, a Marine Corps communications officer, told AFP. Story continues US Philippines Marines medics But the drill's timing and location put it in the middle of simmering tensions between China and its rivals in the region. The landing took place at a Philippine navy base in the province of Zambales on the northern island of Luzon. The same base hosted an expanded annual US-Philippine military exercise earlier this year. About 130 miles west in the South China Sea is Scarborough Shoal, a group of rocks long administered by Manila until China seized it after a stand-off in 2012. China has ignored a 2016 ruling by an international tribunal that rejected its expansive claims in the South China Sea and found that it violated the Philippines' territorial rights. China has built up other islands and reefs it claims in the South China Sea, adding military outposts and hardware. It has not done that on Scarborough, and doing so would have strategic implications for the US and the Philippines. Manila has said such activity would be a "red line." The exercise also kicked off after a series of shows of force by US and Chinese forces in the East and South China Seas, including numerous flyovers by US bombers and a close encounter between US and Chinese warships. Japan's presence was one of several recent firsts for that country's military, which has looked to increase its capabilities and readiness. Earlier this month, British troops became the first non-US military personnel to be hosted by Japan for military exercises, joining members of the Japanese Ground Self-Defence Force for Exercise Vigilant Isles. This spring, Japan stood up an elite Amphibious Rapid Deployment Brigade for the first time since World War II. Japan has its own territorial dispute with China over islands in the East China Sea, and that force, which has carried out several exercises already this year, would likely be called on to defend those islands. Its only a matter of weeks before Meghan Markle and Prince Harry arrive in Australia, before continuing their royal tour in Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand. The Duchess of Sussexs role will be different from previous visits made by royals, as she will be fronting two solo engagements, a contrast to Kate Middletons less hands-on approach in the months after she married Prince William. Meghans two solo engagements will take place in Fiji, one being a morning tea at the British High Commissioners Residence, which she will attend on her own. Meghan Markle will take on two solo engagements during her visit to Fiji. Photo: Getty She will also visit female stallholders at the markets in capital city, Suva, linked to the UN Women program, Markets for Change. Fiji asked the Duchess to do those events, a palace insider told Hello! magazine. Theres a movement in Fiji to encourage women to move away from the stereotypical roles of cooking and looking after children. Shes a very confident speaker. When the Duchess launched (Grenfell cookbook) Together she spoke confidently, and off the cuff. Its only natural at some of the events shes doing by herself that she would want to speak, the source added. Meghan and Harrys tour is set to take place from Tuesday, October 16th, until Wednesday, October 21st. Photo: Getty Meghan has previously been involved with UN Women, after delivering an inspiring speech back at its annual conference in 2015. Meghan and Harrys tour is set to take place from Tuesday, October 16th, until Wednesday, October 21st. During that time, they will take in all the sights of Australia, Fiji, Tonga and New Zealand, meeting with locals and carrying out engagements at the Invictus Games in Sydney. Kensington Palace has revealed that their trip will focus on youth leadership, and projects being undertaken by young people to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges of the region. Got a story tip? Send it to tips@oath.com Want more lifestyle and celebrity news? Follow Yahoo Lifestyle on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Former Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern announced Saturday he would retire from politics, thereby also ending his bid to succeed Jean-Claude Juncker as EU Commission president next year. Kern, who stepped down as head of the opposition Social Democrat (SPOe) party last month, earlier indicated he had considered putting himself forward as a candidate to take over from Juncker. But on Saturday, the 52-year-old told reporters he was ending his career because "domestic political games" were overshadowing key debates over European parliamentary elections in May 2019. "As a former head of government, it's impossible to leave the domestic political stage," he said in Vienna. Describing next year's parliamentary vote as "the battle of all battles over the future of our continent", Kern said Europeans had to unite to avoid a takeover by far-right and rightwing parties. Kern became chancellor in 2016, but lost in a snap election to conservative Sebastian Kurz just a year later. At an EU summit in Salzburg last month, he had sought to drum up support for his candidacy for the EU's most powerful job ahead of a meeting in Lisbon in December where the Social Democrat (S&D) grouping will choose its contenders. Juncker is scheduled to leave office at the end of October 2019 after a term marked by a series of crises, including a huge influx of refugees, soaring debt and Brexit. His successor will be chosen by a so-called "Spitzenkandidat" procedure, a term meaning "lead candidate" in German, which was used was for the first time to appoint Juncker in 2014. Under the system, the largest party in the European Parliament after elections nominates its contenders for the post. Commission vice president Maros Sefcovic, a 52-year-old Slovakian, has already announced his candidacy for the S&D grouping. It is the second biggest group in the European Parliament after the right and centre-right EPP from whose ranks Juncker came. The German head of the EPP parliamentary group, Max Weber, enjoys the support of German Chancellor Angela Merkel and is seen as a frontrunner. Last week, former Finnish prime minister Alexander Stubb also threw his hat into the ring for the EPP grouping. Former Austrian Chancellor Christian Kern described next year's European parliamentary elections as "the battle of all battles over the future of our continent" Brazil holds presidential and legislative elections on Sunday. A far-right politician promising a hard line on crime and corruption, Jair Bolsonaro, is the frontrunner for the top job. Here's what you need to know: - How important are the elections? - Brazil is one of the most important emerging economies out there, one of the BRICS and Latin America's biggest democracy. Whoever ends up as president will be at the helm of the world's 8th-biggest economy, an oil producer and major energy consumer whose chief trading partner is China. Yet it's only three decades since Brazil shucked off a military dictatorship. And it has just emerged from its worst-ever recession, which wiped away much of a preceding decade of prosperity. - Who is Bolsonaro? - Out of a field of 13 presidential candidates, Bolsonaro is by far the most controversial and polarizing. Once an army captain, he has been a deputy in Brazil's congress since 1991, during which he became known for offensive remarks against women, gays and Brazil's mostly black poor. But he also has a healthy polling lead over rivals -- attributed to his tough-guy promises to crack down on crime and graft, and his canny use of Facebook to reach out to voters. Massive protests by Brazilian women have been held against Bolsonaro. Although a Catholic, he has the backing of an influential evangelical bloc in congress that would help him govern if he wins the presidency. A stabbing attack by a lone knifeman last month as he campaigned only increased sympathy for him -- and for his pledge to be ruthless with street criminals. - Is he a shoo-in? - Not yet. Sunday is the first round of the presidential elections. If no candidate gets more than 50 percent, then a second, knockout round will be held on October 28 between the two with the highest scores. Bolsonaro boasts he will win outright on Sunday and Brazilians can go to the beach instead on October 28. But analysts say that while a first-round victory can't be excluded, the polling numbers available make it unlikely. In a second round, the outcome would be uncertain. Surveys suggest Bolsonaro would be neck-and-neck with his nearest rival, leftist candidate Fernando Haddad, the Workers' Party's choice to replace popular ex-president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, who is in jail for bribery. Against the candidate currently trailing in third place, center-left politician Ciro Gomes, Bolsonaro would likely lose, recent polls show. - What changes does he promise? - If he does enter Planalto, Brazil's equivalent of the White House, Bolsonaro has promised big changes. He wants looser gun laws for "good" civilians to help counter rife street assaults and murders, and for the army to go after organized crime. Political corruption will be quashed and the government streamlined, he has said. Brazil would sell off state enterprises to bring down spiraling public debt. In foreign relations, Brasilia would "cease coddling murderous dictatorships," his manifesto says. That looks like a reference particularly to neighboring Venezuela, whose implosion under the rule of Socialist President Nicolas Maduro has sent tens of thousands of people fleeing over the border into Brazil. Instead, it would turn more towards countries such as the United States, Israel and Italy. "We've got to give Socialism, Communism, a kick up the ass," he told a Brazilian TV station, Record, late Thursday. Jair Bolsonaro's tough line on crime and market-friendly policies have gained him as much support as his controversial views on women, homosexuality, race and torture have provoked scorn Popularity of Brazil's main presidential candidates Brazilian women have spearheaded massive protests against right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, like this one in Sao Paulo Surveys suggest that if Brazil's presidential election goes to a runoff, right-wing candidate Jair Bolsonaro would be neck-and-neck with his nearest rival, leftist Workers' Party candidate Fernando Haddad (C) Supporters of Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro have also rallied, especially after he was stabbed on the campaign trail in September A new documentary sheds light on the little-known story of North Korean war orphans sent to Poland, where they formed an unlikely bond with their teachers before their traumatic return home. "The Children Gone to Poland" -- which premiered Saturday at the Busan International Film Festival in South Korea -- traces the journey of the 1,200 orphans sent from the North during the 1950-53 Korean War. The devastating conflict, which sealed the division of the flashpoint peninsula, killed at least half a million civilians and left at least 100,000 children without parents. The North's then-leader Kim Il Sung sent thousands of orphans to countries including the Soviet Union, Hungary and Poland from 1951, pleading with his communist allies to take care of them. The group of 1,200 orphans arrived in 1953 at the small, forested village of Plakowice, where they lived in a former hospital building for six years under the care of Polish teachers. Famed South Korean actress Choo Sang-mee, who directed the film, visits Poland to find traces of the war orphans, alongside a North Korean defector with her own distressing childhood memories of separation from her family. "Trains full of children arrived (over) several days," retired teacher Jozef Borowiec said in the film, adding many were in a "state of shock and trauma" after witnessing the horrors of war. - 'Heartbreaking memories' - The orphans, infested with lice and suffering from disease, insisted on sleeping under the bed in fear of the bombing campaigns they lived through at home, while constantly screaming and crying in their sleep. But they quickly learned Polish and formed bonds with their teachers and caregivers, who knew from personal experience the horrors of war. "Back then, we also went through horrible wars and had many heartbreaking memories ourselves," Borowiec, 91, told Choo. "We told them to call us mum and dad... We wanted to do everything to help these (North Korean) orphans erase the memories of war and have a sense of family in Poland," he said, wiping away tears. Old photos and videos showed the orphans laughing, studying Polish, dancing and singing, or playing with teachers and other Polish children -- a typical childhood denied in their homeland. The teachers soon got to know each of them -- whose names they tearfully remember even decades later. "The children were brought here as part of international propaganda (to cement diplomatic ties)," Jolanta Krysowata, a Polish journalist who wrote a book about the North Korean orphans, says in the film. "But the teachers developed real compassion for these orphans... the human feelings they shared with the children had little to do with politics," said Krysowata, whose book inspired the latest documentary. - Forced return - North Korea eventually ordered the children to return and join the country's post-war reconstruction efforts, prompting some to lie on the snow and even pour cold water over themselves in a desperate bid to fall sick and avoid repatriation. Many sent letters back to the teachers, describing their days in Poland as the best time of their lives and bemoaning the backbreaking labour they faced back home. One child even died during a failed attempt to illegally cross the border to neighbouring China, after sending multiple letters begging Borowiec to take him back. All letters came to a sudden stop in 1961 as the North's regime limited contact with the outside world. The film juxtaposes the fate of the orphans with those of today's North Korean child defectors, traumatised by the harrowing escape from their homeland. The impoverished, isolated state is still under the tight grip of the Kim dynasty that has ruled through three generations with an iron fist and has little tolerance for dissident. The film shows young North Korean refugees in Seoul telling their childhood memories of losing parents to famine, or witnessing the gruesome death of a sibling in a gulag. "There are always children who suffer at times of historic turmoil, but they are forgotten as the history eventually heals itself and moves on," said director Choo. "History erases the story of these children in its path to the future. But some children transform their pain to the strength to live, and they grow." South Korean director Choo Sang-mee (R), pictured here with actress Lee Song (L), chronicled the lives of 1,200 North Korean orphans who took refuge in Poland China remained silent Saturday over the disappearance of the head of Interpol, deepening the mystery over the international police chief's fate after reports said he was detained for questioning on arrival in his homeland. Meng Hongwei, 64, was last seen leaving for China in late September from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, southeast France, a source close to the enquiry told AFP. His wife has since reported him missing. It is the latest high-profile disappearance in China, where a number of top government officials, billionaire business magnates and even an A-list celebrity have vanished for weeks or months at a time. Beijing has so far said nothing on Meng's case. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment from AFP. But news of his absence was swiftly followed by speculation that Meng -- who also serves as a vice-minister of China's Ministry of Public Security -- had been swept up in Beijing's secretive anti-corruption campaign. Citing an anonymous source, the South China Morning Post said authorities from the country's disciplinary commission had snatched Meng upon arrival in Beijing. China's recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate the country's public servants with few requirements for transparency. While the law requires authorities to inform family members of a detention, it makes exceptions for cases involving national security, terrorism, or concerns over destruction of evidence or witness tampering. People have been known to disappear into the commission's custody for weeks or even months without a word. Interpol has also kept quiet on Meng's whereabouts. "This is a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China," the police agency said on Twitter, adding it would make no further comment. - Anti-corruption? - It is not clear why Meng -- the first Chinese president of Interpol -- would be under investigation. Chinese president Xi Jinping has presided over a popular anti-graft drive since coming to power in 2012 that has punished more than one million officials, with critics comparing it to a political purge. Meng rose up the ranks of the country's domestic security apparatus when it was under the leadership of Zhou Yongkang, a rival to Xi and the highest-ranking official to be brought down on corruption charges. Zhou -- who was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 -- was subsequently accused of conspiring to seize state power and authorities have continued working to root out his influence. He appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004. In the role Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including heading up the country's counter-terrorism division, which saw him in charge of the response to several major incidents in China's fractious western region of Xinjiang. Critics of Meng's 2016 election to Interpol's presidency said he would use the position to help China target dissidents abroad under the guise of pursuing corrupt officials. Interpol has downplayed the concerns, saying the president has little influence over the organisation's day-to-day operations, which are handled by secretary-general Juergen Stock, a German. The Chinese effort to track down corrupt officials abroad, known as Operation Fox Hunt, has led to claims in some countries that Chinese law-enforcement agents have been operating covertly on their soil without the approval or consent of local authorities. China currently has 44 outstanding red notices, mostly related to murder, intentional injury and drug smuggling, according to Interpol's web site. During Meng's tenure, Interpol issued a red notice for fugitive Chinese billionaire real estate tycoon Guo Wengui, who threatened to reveal corruption at the country's highest levels. Authorities in China and Hong Kong have accused Guo, who resides in the United States, of laundering billions of dollars among other crimes. Meng Hongwei, 64, was last seen leaving for China in late September from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, southeast France A couple on the outskirts of Mexico City have been detained on suspicion they may have killed as many as 10 women and sold a dead womans baby. Police said the couple had been placed under surveillance with officers spotting them coming out of a house with a baby carriage on Thursday (local time). Inside the carriage, they found dismembered human body parts the pair intended to dispose of in a nearby vacant lot, Mexico State police said on Friday. Police said they went to the lot and found more body parts, but they were in such bad condition that forensic tests will be needed to identify the victim. Police in Mexico have detained a couple. Source: Getty, file. Police said the couple acknowledged disposing of other bodies in a similar fashion, and authorities were searching two other properties. In all, police said, the couple confessed to killing at least 10 women. The couple, who were identified only be their first names in a police statement, also reportedly confessed they had sold one of the dead womens two-month-old baby to another couple. The baby was recovered and the other couple was detained. The couple came under suspicion because they knew three women who had disappeared over the last five months in the sprawling suburb of Ecatepec, just north of Mexico City. Mexico State, which borders Mexico City to the east, north and west, has suffered from waves of womens killings in recent years. While it is unclear how widespread trafficking in children is in Mexico, the Network for Childrens Rights in Mexico estimates that an average of four minors disappear every day in Mexico. Also Thursday, police in the northern Mexico border state of Sonora said five police officers died after unidentified assailants attacked their patrol vehicle in the town of Guaymas. Four of the Guaymas police officers died at the scene; another died while being taken by helicopter for treatment. Authorities have launched a search for the assailants. The seaside fishing town had largely been spared the violence affecting other parts of northern Mexico. A group of young men have been thrown from the back of a ute in Perths northwest after it rolled, prompting a warning from their families. The eight men were rushed to hospital after their Toyota Landcruiser rolled in Scarborough on Saturday about 2.20am. It was a confronting scene for neighbours. Eight men were rushed to hospital after their Toyota Landcruiser rolled in Scarborough. Source: 7 News I thought to myself, I dont know whats going on here actually and then there was some bloodied individuals with their heads and so on, resident Niall Turnbull said. I thought this looks pretty grim actually. Seven News has been told many of the young men thrown from the ute were part of a local footy team, and earlier in the night had been celebrating an end of season wind-up. Police are still investigating the crash. Source: 7 News Three are currently in a stable condition in hospital. Brent Campbell, a father of one of the men, said it could have easily been a different outcome. Bad decisions result in bad outcomes and theyre lucky the outcome isnt as bad as it could have been so, he said. Boys, youve got to think. Police said the driver has helped them with their investigation, but they still want anyone with information to contact Crime Stoppers. Anyone with information is encouraged to call Crime Stoppers 1800 333 000 or use the Crime Stoppers online reporting page. More bodies were unearthed from the earthquake-and-tsunami-ravaged Indonesian city of Palu on Saturday, as authorities move closer to calling off the search for the dead trapped under flattened communities and declaring them mass graves. Officials said Saturday the death toll had climbed to 1,649, with more than a thousand feared still missing in the seaside city on Sulawesi island. More than 82,000 military and civilian personnel, as well as volunteers, have descended on the devastated city, where relief groups say clean water and medical supplies are in short supply. After days of delays, international aid has slowly begun trickling into the disaster zone where the UN says almost 200,000 people need humanitarian assistance. But hopes of finding anyone alive a full eight days later have all but faded, as the search for survivors morphs into a grim gathering of the dead. At the massive Balaroa government housing complex, where the sheer force of the quake turned the earth temporarily to mush, soldiers wearing masks to ward off the stench of death clambered over the giant mounds of mud, brick and cement. Vast numbers of decomposing bodies could still be buried beneath this once-thriving neighbourhood, the search and rescue agency said. Two soldiers who are part of the search emerged from a ditch with a body bag sagging in the middle but looking too light to be a corpse -- they said they had found the heads of two adults and one child. "There are no survivors here. We just find bodies, every day," said army sergeant Syafaruddin, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. - Health fears - At the flattened Hotel Roa-Roa -- where early optimism that survivors might be found faded as the days wore on -- rescuers reviewed CCTV footage to get a sense of where the doomed guests could be buried. In Petobo -- another village all but wiped off the map -- teams struggled to extract bodies from the muck, often dislodging limbs loosened by decomposition after more than a week exposed to the elements. The search for survivors has not officially been called off. But security minister Wiranto said the government had been discussing with local leaders and religious figures as to when the worst-hit areas would be declared mass graves, and left untouched. "We have to make a decision as to when the search for the dead will end. Then, we later must decide when the area will be designated a mass grave," he told reporters late Friday. Concerns are growing that decomposing bodies could turn into a serious health hazard. "Most of the bodies we have found are not intact, and that poses a danger for the rescuers. We have to be very careful to avoid contamination," Yusuf Latif, a spokesman for Indonesia's search and rescue agency, told AFP from Palu. "We have vaccinated our teams, but we need to be extra cautious." While the World Health Organization says there is no evidence to suggest bodies in such disaster situations could spark an epidemic, it has warned that those handling corpses are at a risk of contracting diseases like tuberculosis, cholera, and bloodborne viruses. Thousands of survivors continued to stream out of Palu to nearby cities in the aftermath of the disaster. Hospitals remain overstretched and short on staff and supplies. In Karawana village, nurse Iyong Lamatowa can offer little more than antibiotics and painkillers to treat those flocking to a makeshift clinic with badly-infected wounds. Project HOPE, a medical NGO, said only two of its 82 staff in Palu had reported for duty since the quake. "We still don't know the fate of the clinic doctors, nurses and technicians who usually staff the clinic," the organisation said in a statement. - Short supplies - Survivors have ransacked shops and supply trucks in the hunt for basic necessities, prompting security forces to round up dozens of suspected looters and warn that they will open fire on thieves. Hundreds of people Saturday rushed a truck transporting gas cylinders for cooking while a supermarket that opened for business under military guard refused to allow people inside, instead passing goods through the door. A convoy of five hundred trucks laden with donated food, cooking oil and other essentials was on its way to Palu, agriculture minister Amran Sulaiman said in the devastated city on Saturday. "Palu's ordeal is grief for all of us and that's why everyone is lending a hand to help," he said. The United Nations said Friday it was seeking $50.5 million "for immediate relief" to help victims. Getting vital supplies to the affected areas has proved hugely challenging, with the number of flights able to land at Palu's small airport still limited, leaving aid workers facing gruelling overland journeys. Oxfam had sent water treatment units and purification kits to Palu and Swiss aid teams on the ground were providing drinking water and emergency shelter, both said in statements Saturday. Indonesia sits along the world's most tectonically active region, and its 260 million people are vulnerable to earthquakes, tsunamis and volcanic eruptions. More than a thousand people are still feared missing in the seaside Indonesian city of Palu Latest toll on Sulawesi's quake-tsunami disaster Hopes of finding survivors a full eight days after the quake-tsunami have all but faded International aid has started to trickle in but access to the disaster-struck areas remains difficult Soldiers in face masks clambered over the giant mounds of mud, brick and cement in the search for quake victims Tens of thousands of military and civilian personnel are involved in the rescue and relief efforts Criticized by the White House for alleged interference in US politics, China has quietly blazed a path at the United Nations where it is, little by little, becoming one of the most influential members. At the Security Council, where China holds one of five permanent veto-wielding seats, its statements remain bland, often recalling fundamentals of the United Nations Charter such as national sovereignty and principles of non-interference. "In their interpretation, democracy is optional, as are human rights," a European diplomat said. Yet in peacekeeping missions or when jobs are available in the UN's executive arm at the New York headquarters, Beijing is increasingly making its presence felt. More than 2,500 Chinese military personnel wear UN blue helmets on peacekeeping missions in Libya, Mali, the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan. China has also "enormously increased" its voluntary financial contributions to the world body while the US under President Donald Trump has slashed its own financing, one diplomat said. Funding reports and missions allows China to buy some "influence" and push its candidates into top positions, the diplomat added, adding that to have Chinese in multiple roles across the UN provides "a source of information and influence." Another diplomat, also speaking anonymously, said: "China is taking power at the United Nations." - Spheres of influence - In 2017 and 2018, the Asian giant, which is economically expanding in Africa and elsewhere, became a key player on two major international crises: North Korea and Myanmar. Under American pressure, Beijing imposed unprecedented economic sanctions against Pyongyang, but with the hope that an accord on denuclearization of the Korean peninsula will lead to the departure of about 30,000 US troops based in South Korea -- China's behind-the-scenes strategy in the region. China meanwhile considers the crisis of Myanmar's Muslim minority Rohingya, 700,000 of whom fled a military crackdown to Bangladesh, as a bilateral issue between those two countries, and succeeded in preventing any firm Security Council action. - Power and erosion - European diplomats have noted that China's rise at the United Nations has come at a time when Beijing and Moscow are no longer automatically offering each other immediate reciprocal support. When Moscow makes use of its veto power, China sometimes simply abstains. Even in lower-profile situations, such as negotiating texts among the 15 Security Council members at the experts level, China is "present on all subjects," one diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. Beijing, for example, is now seeking to become chief author on texts about Afghanistan, replacing the Netherlands, which on January 1 will leave its non-permanent Security Council seat, several diplomats said. The vast majority of UN resolutions still are written by the United States, Britain or France -- a reflection of an older world order. China, like Russia, is rarely the author, although it was in charge of the Somalia file in the past. So how far will China go? Some say this is only the tip of the iceberg. "For China, multipolarity is just one stop on the underground metro line," one diplomatic source said. For Beijing, it then sees a Group of Two -- China and the US, and eventually, China will reign supreme, a diplomat said. "They are long-term players. They don't want to create a commotion," another diplomatic source said. The United States has imposed $250 billion in tariffs on Chinese goods and Trump has gone so far as alleging that Beijing is interfering in the November midterm elections in hopes of helping defeat his Republican Party due to his tough trade stance. Speaking to a US think tank last week, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi dismissed fears that his country was seeking to overtake the US as the pre-eminent world power. Concluding that China is about to seek hegemony, he said, is "a serious strategic misjudgment." At the Security Council, where China holds one of five permanent seats, its statements remain bland, often recalling fundamentals of the United Nations Charter such as national sovereignty and principles of non-interference More than 2,500 Chinese military personnel currently wear UN blue helmets on peacekeeping missions China considers the plight of Myanmar's Rohingya refugees -- seen here arriving on the Bangladesh side of the Naf River after fleeing violence at home in September 2017 -- a bilateral problem for the two countries Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (L) shakes hands with Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi in Beijing in April 2018 -- but the two nations no longer work in strict tandem at the United Nations Evangelical churches are flourishing across traditionally Catholic Latin America and as the religious movement grows, its influence -- including in this weekend's elections in Brazil -- transforming the region and swinging its politics to the right, analysts say. Sharply opposed to abortion, same-sex marriage, the legalization of marijuana and leftist ideology in general, the evangelical movement has boosted conservatives and helped unseat a slew of left-leaning governments across the region. Powerful evangelical churches are now helping tip the balance in Brazil, where far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro is riding high in the polls ahead of Sunday's presidential election first round. "The recent elections in Chile, Costa Rica, Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and the upcoming one in Brazil reveal both greater electoral polarization and a shift to the political right," says Andrew Chesnut, director of Catholic Studies at Virginia Commonwealth University. In Mexico, "even though he's left of center, Lopez Obrador felt he had to make an alliance with a small conservative party founded by a Pentecostal pastor, to ensure his victory," he says, referring to President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. - Political fervor - Latin America has 40 percent of the world's Roman Catholics, but evangelical churches that grew out of American Protestantism at the beginning of the 1900s are attracting more and more followers, and they are increasingly influential come election time. According to a 2014 study by the Pew Investigation Center in the US, one in five Latin Americans are Protestant. The figure rises to 41 percent in Honduras and Guatemala, where General Efrain Rios Montt became the world's first Pentecostal head of state when he came to power in a 1982 military coup. Most of the new churches are Pentecostal, a movement energized by expectation of the imminent second coming of Christ. Pentecostal growth has been so strong in Brazil that the South American behemoth "now is home to the largest Pentecostal population on earth with more believers than even in the USA," said Chesnut. William Mauricio Beltran, a professor at Colombia's National University, said evangelical churches had "managed to respond better to the needs of new generations of Latin Americans. "Particularly in the context of accelerated social change, characterized by rapid urbanization and globalization, increasing uncertainty, and increasing social pluralization." Those "processes that have left large sectors of the population excluded, or with very few opportunities." For both Beltran and Chesnut, pedophile scandals in the Catholic Church -- of the kind currently roiling the church in Chile -- have helped push more Christians towards evangelical movements. - At the heart of political debate - Evangelism has played a key role in some of the biggest political upheavals in the region in recent years, said Gaspard Estrada, a specialist in Latin American politics at Paris' Science Po university. They include the impeachment of Brazil's president Dilma Rousseff, the "No" vote in the Colombian referendum on the 2016 FARC peace deal, and Guatemala's recent decision to move its embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. "The themes that are dear to the evangelicals are increasingly present in public debate," said Estrada. He points out that the evangelism embraced by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales weighed heavily on his decision to move the embassy. According to evangelists, Jews should rebuild their biblical temple in Jerusalem, which is a key step in a series of events that would lead to a second coming of Jesus Christ on Earth. "Evangelical pastors intervene much more in the daily lives of the faithful, they have no problem to call on people to vote for someone," said Estrada. Ahead of Brazil's election on Sunday, the influential Universal Church of the Kingdom of God has come out strongly for Bolsonaro, the tough-on-crime former army captain who is favored to win. - Swing to the right- Even more than a swing to the right, the Evangelical surge "is a victory for alternativsm," Estrada believes. "Because of the corruption scandals, lack of leadership and stalled growth, there is a radicalization of the electorate in Latin America. Voters are being pushed to extreme and alternative candidates," Estrada said. "This affirmation of the evangelical and conservative vote is a reaction to the progress of feminist voting and civil society." According to Beltran from Colombia's National University, the churches have managed to mobilize into a political machine "whose role and power must be taken into account at each election." Worshipers pray at an evangelical church in Brasilia, for the recovery of Brazilian right-wing presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro, who was stabbed while campaigning Powerful evangelical churches are helping tip the balance in Brazil, where far-right candidate Jair Bolsonaro is riding high in the polls ahead of the upcoming presidential election first round The evangelism embraced by Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales weighed heavily on his decision to move the country's embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem Evangelism has played a key role in some of the biggest political upheavals in the region in recent years, including the impeachment of Brazil's president Dilma Rouseff A referendum in Romania this weekend to define marriage explicitly as between a man and woman underlines the largely East-West split in Europe over same-sex unions. - Western Europe: pioneers - In 2001 the Netherlands became the first country in the world to allow gay and lesbian couples to marry in a civil ceremony. Fifteen European countries have followed: Belgium, Britain (but not Northern Ireland, which only accepts civil partnerships), Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Spain and Sweden, with Austria due to join next year. In several of these countries, gay marriage had been preceded by civil partnerships, which come with fewer rights, Denmark being the pioneer in 1989. Some European countries still only allow such partnerships, rather than marriage, including Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Italy and Switzerland. Slovenians also allow civil partnerships but in 2015 rejected in a referendum a proposal to legalise gay marriage. - Bans in the east - In June 2018 the Czech government backed draft legislation that would make the country the first post-communist member of the European Union to legalise same-sex marriage. But most Eastern European countries allow neither gay partnerships nor marriages, including Bulgaria, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania and Slovakia. In 2014 Estonia became the first former Soviet republic to authorise same-sex civil unions. In Russia homosexuality was considered a crime up to 1993 and a mental illness until 1999. Now legal, a 2013 law however punishes the promotion of homosexuality among minors. - West opens to gay adoption - Western Europe also leads the way on the rights of same-sex couples to adopt children, whether within marriage or civil partnerships. This is allowed in Austria, Belgium, Britain, Denmark, France, Germany, Malta and The Netherlands, Spain and Sweden. Other countries, like Finland and Slovenia, allow gay people to adopt their partner's children. Medically Assisted Procreation (MAP) is allowed for lesbian couples in Austria, Belgium, Britain, The Netherlands, Spain and the Nordic countries. France is examining whether to make such a move. Most European countries however ban surrogacy although the use of surrogate mothers is allowed -- as long as they are not paid -- in Belgium, Britain and The Netherlands. In an exception, Greece in 2014 authorised paid surrogacy. Further afield, homosexual couples can also marry in Canada since 2005 and in the United States since 2015, as well as in four Latin American countries: Argentina, Brazil, Colombia and Uruguay. South Africa in 2006 became the sole African nation to allow gay marriage. Gay rights campaigners march through Belfast July, 2017 to protest a ban on same-sex marriage Thousands of anti-coal demonstrators descended on Germany's Hambach forest Saturday, celebrating an unexpected court victory that suspended an energy company's planned razing of the woodland to expand a giant open-cast mine. The ancient forest near Cologne has been occupied by activists for the past six years and become a symbol of resistance against coal energy in Germany, a country that despite its green reputation remains heavily reliant on this dirtiest of fossil fuels. Basking in early autumn sunshine, young people, families and pensioners flocked to a field next to Hambach forest, a day after a court in Muenster said it needed more time to consider an environmental complaint against RWE's upcoming clearing operations. Organisers said 50,000 people had turned out for what they called the region's "biggest-ever anti-coal rally". Police however did not confirm the figure. Chanting "Hambi bleibt!" (Hambi stays) and cheering loudly, the crowd listened to live music and speeches in a festival-like atmosphere. Many held up banners and balloons demanding an immediate exit from coal energy. "The mood is great," said Greenpeace spokeswoman Gesche Juergens, welcoming "the strong signal" sent by the court. "But it's only a first step. The battle goes on to start phasing out coal." The forest's days had appeared numbered after its owner RWE announced plans to clear half of the remaining 200 hectares (500 acres) from October 15 to expand its massive nearby open-pit coal mine. Police last month began dismantling activists' treehouses in a forced eviction that took nearly three weeks and fanned public sympathy for the activists' cause. Tragedy struck when a freelance journalist covering the evictions died on September 19 after falling through a walkway suspended between two trees. Demonstrators at the rally held a moment's silence in honour of the victim, Steffen Meyns. - Saved by a bat - RWE on Friday said it believed a final judgement in the court case could take until late 2020, sending its share price plunging -- the mention of which was greeted with loud applause at the demo. The energy firm has long argued that the expansion of Hambach mine in Germany's industrial heartland of North Rhine-Westphalia state is necessary to fuel coal-fired power plants in the region -- which are among the most polluting in the European Union. But judges said RWE had not sufficiently proved that renewed logging was urgently needed to ensure energy supply. The plaintiffs in the case, environmental group BUND, meanwhile are arguing that the forest is home to rare species like Bechstein's bat and therefore qualifies as a protected area under EU legislation. The fight has taken on fresh urgency as it comes just as a government-appointed coal committee is discussing an end-date for coal in a bid to combat climate change. Germany gets around 40 percent of its energy from coal, contributing significantly to the country's carbon dioxide emissions and undermining Chancellor Angela Merkel's role as a leading advocate of the Paris Climate Agreement. - 'They can't keep us down' - Buoyed by the court's temporary reprieve, demonstrators said they were hopeful Hambach forest could be saved. "I have faith. So much can happen in two years' time, they'll have no choice but to keep the forest," said 43-year-old teacher Julia. "I hope so," her son Arne, 10, chimed in. But forest occupiers were more muted in their celebrations, saying it had been a bitter experience to watch police tear down more than 80 treehouses they had built with their bare hands. "It's a double feeling," said Musel, a dreadlocked man in his early 50s who was twice dragged out of the trees by police and even wrapped himself in barbed wire. "The court's decision is a step in the right direction... but the people who have lived here for years are traumatised." But he added that the activists were unbowed, and that the rebuilding had already begun. "The first hammocks are already back up," he smiled. "They can't keep us down." At the edge of the forest, demonstrators paused to take in the sweeping view of RWE's open-pit mine. Two coal plants in the distance were belching clouds of smoke into the sky, while dozens of wind turbines dotted the horizon. "One is the future, the other is the past," mused 40-year-old local resident Benjamin. A banner reads "Hambi for Bambi" as thousands of demonstrators gather to celebrate the suspension of the planned razing of the forest in what they dubbed the region's "biggest-ever anti-coal rally" "Stop coal - RWE hands off Hambi" reads a poster close to the forest, whose days had appeared numbered before a court ruling which prompted a Greenpeace spokeswoman to hail what she termed a first step in the battle to phase out coal Activists have occupied the ancient forest for six years, their protest a symbol of opposition to dirty coal, and they had cause to celebrate -- the graffiti reads Hambi stays -- after a court suspended razing of the woodland Candidates vying to be Brazil's next president made last-ditch bids Saturday to woo undecided voters on the eve of a first-round election that polarizing far-right politician Jair Bolsonaro is favored to win. Even though campaigning in public ended Thursday, many of the 13 candidates continued to make their case via social networks in Latin America's largest democracy. Bolsonaro has been particularly adept at using the internet. Since being stabbed by a lone knifeman while campaigning a month ag,o he has been convalescing in hospital and at home, but remained very active on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. On Saturday, he used Instagram to say "it is necessary to use force to combat crime so that criminals understand that their action will not go unpunished." The 63-year-old ultraconservative, an ex-paratrooper advocating tough law-and-order measures and looser gun laws, surged in the polls in recent days. He has 35 percent of voter support according to the Datafolha firm. That puts him well ahead of his nearest rival, Fernando Haddad, who became the leftist Workers Party replacement candidate after its iconic figure, former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, was declared ineligible because he is in prison for corruption. Haddad is credited with 22 percent support. If those scores are borne out in Sunday's general election, Bolsonaro and Haddad will go on to a run-off ballot on October 28. That round is seen as too close to reliably call. But analysts say Bolsonaro's rise has been so swift there is an outside possibility he could even carry off the presidency on Sunday without going to a second round. A political analysis consultancy, Eurasia Group, said it viewed a first-round outright victory as "unlikely," estimated its chance at 20 percent. - Strongly for and against - Bolsonaro is seen as a "clean" candidate, unmarred by corruption scandals that have sullied so many other politicians despite him spending the past 27 years in congress. Though a Catholic, he has close ties to evangelical groups that form a powerful political lobby. Yet he is reviled by around 40 percent of voters, according to surveys. Many object to his comments degrading women, making light of rape, expressing hostility to homosexuals and criticizing the poor. His nostalgia for Brazil's 1964-1985 military dictatorship has also chilled voters. But he has solid support from better-educated Brazilians fed up with crime and corruption, and by business leaders and investors swayed by his promises to reduce Brazil spiralling debt through privatizations in the world's eight-biggest economy. "Bolsonaro has better scores from voters with high revenues and good levels of education than from the poor. He also has wooed more men than women," noted political analyst Jairo Nicolau. Around 50 percent of Brazilian women say they would never vote for Bolsonaro, surveys show. - Yearning for prosperity - Much of Brazil did very well economically under the 2003-2010 rule of former president Lula, and yearns for that heyday after suffering through a subsequent 2014-2016 recession that was Brazil's worst ever. But many don't trust the Workers Party to bring back the good times. The sharp decline, which has resulted in 12 percent unemployment, happened under Lula's chosen successor Dilma Rousseff, who was impeached and booted from office in 2016 for fiddling public finances. Haddad, a former mayor of Sao Paulo, climbed into second place thanks to Lula's lingering popularity. He sold himself as "Lula's candidate" and promised to open the public purse strings to recover prosperity. On Saturday, Haddad was in Brazil's poverty-stricken northeast region in an effort to rustle up more votes. "We are arriving at the big day. Don't decide your vote by rumors, lies on WhatsApp. Decide on the basis of the proposals, on who is by the side of Brazilian workers," he tweeted. Lula himself tried Friday to give Haddad a fillip by sending a letter from jail in which he said: "October 6 is my official birthday. I hope my gift on October 7 is a vote by the Brazilian people for Haddad as president." Lula really turns 73 on October 27, but his birth was registered a year after he was born in 1945 with October 6 given as his birthdate. Sunday's election, as well as deciding among the presidential candidates, is to choose new federal and state legislatures. Polling stations were to open at 8:00 am (1100 GMT) and close at 5:00 pm (2000 GMT). Voting is compulsory and entered electronically, with results expected within a couple of hours of the closing time. A worker at an electoral court storage facility in Rio de Janeiro carries electronic ballots for distribution during preparations on the eve of Brazil's general election Supporters of Brazil?s far-right presidential candidate Jair Bolsonaro take part in a campaign rally in Brasilia on the eve of the ballot he is favored to win Popularity of Brazil's main presidential candidates A supporter of Bolsonaro takes a snapshot with a campaign sign in Brasilia Brazilian presidential candidate Fernando Haddad (R), who sells himself as "Lula's candidate," rallied with his running mate Manuela d'Avila (2-R), the Governor of Minas Gerais Fernando Pimentel (2-L) and former president Dilma Rousseff (L) The pro-Kremlin Harmony party won Latvia's general election ahead of populists, final results showed Sunday, but talks on forming a governing coalition looked thorny due to the country's fragmented political scene. Harmony topped Saturday's vote with 19.8 percent of the vote ahead of two populist parties -- KPV LV with 14.25 percent and the New Conservative Party with 13.6 percent. "No coalition combination is possible without Harmony that would appear able and stable," Harmony chairman and Riga mayor Nils Ushakovs told the LETA agency. Harmony is popular with Latvia's ethnic Russian minority which makes up about a quarter of the country's 1.9-million population. It was formerly allied with Russian President Vladimir Putin's United Russia party and has won the largest number of votes in the last three elections. It never entered government as it failed to attract coalition partners, but KPV LV suggested before the vote that they may help propel it to power this time. "KPV LV can work with anybody. We don't have any red lines regarding any other political force," lawyer Aldis Gobzems, KPV LV's candidate for prime minister, said in a recent TV debate. But the New Conservative Party leader, Janis Bordans, ruled out any cooperation with Harmony, saying this was "our red line before and after the election." Political analysts predicted hard and long talks. They said Harmony and KPV LV looked too lonely to form a coalition, mustering a mere 39 seats between them in the 100-member parliament. "On the one hand, voters want changes. On the other, people do not want their country given away to the Kremlin and populists," analyst Marcis Krastins told AFP. "It looks like Harmony and KPV will indeed work together... in opposition!" voter Andris Latvers quipped on Facebook. - 'Fragmented' - The pro-EU, pro-NATO liberal For Development/For! party came fourth in the vote with 12 percent, beating parties from the current centre-right governing coalition including the rightwing National Alliance, which earned 11 percent. The centre-right Greens and Farmers Union of Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis won 9.9 percent and New Unity took 6.7 percent as the last party crossing the five-percent threshold to have seats in parliament. The ruling three-party government coalition fared poorly despite having improved the country's economy, which was hit hard by the 2008 financial crisis. Still, its leaders and analysts believed it would have a say in the next government coalition. "I am sure that initiative in the coalition talks must come from the centre-right parties," Augusts Brigmanis, the Greens and Farmers Union chairman, told LETA. Political scientist Filips Rajevskis said the new parliament is "very fragmented" and predicted "ugly" talks. Political science professor Juris Rozenvalds from the University of Latvia said the talks could go on until the end of the year with the old cabinet kept in place for the time being. - Pro-Russian hack - The vote was tarnished by a hacker attack on the Draugiem.lv social network, second in popularity only to Facebook in the Baltic state, which displayed a pro-Russian message. "Comrades, Latvians, this concerns you. The borders of Russia have no end," it said in Russian, followed by images of soldiers annexing Crimea, Russian tanks parading in Moscow and a smiling Vladimir Putin. Turnout for Saturday's vote was 54.6 percent, according to the election website. Formerly part of the Soviet Union, Latvia is now a member of the eurozone and NATO, having joined the military alliance in 2004. Harmony has suggested it may tip Latvia's foreign policy in favour of Russia. Political analyst Marcis Bendiks said Harmony's campaign promise to cut defence spending to one percent of GDP went against NATO agreements. Latvia is one of NATO's most disciplined spenders on defence, meeting the two-percent-of-GDP target demanded by the Alliance. A poster of Nils Ushakovs, the chairman of pro-Kremlin party Harmony which came first in Latvia's general election The turnout for Saturday's vote was 54.59 percent, according to the election website The Pro-Kremlin Harmony party came first in Latvia's general election About 200 mariachis performed in Mexico City's iconic Garibaldi Plaza on Friday in a bid to bring wary tourists back to the capital after a deadly attack last month in the square by gunmen dressed as musicians. Performing classic Mexican songs such as "Guadalajara," the musicians joined with business owners to try to reassure visitors that the plaza is safe. Hundreds of people came to watch the display, which also included a performance from a traditional dance group who twirled their skirts in time to the music. "The incident was a totally isolated one. (...) Those people who are committed to drug dealing and controlling the plazas are killing themselves," one musician, Tiziano Cervantes, told AFP. On September 14, Garibaldi Plaza was packed with tourists and locals taking part in Mexican Independence Day festivities when gunmen disguised as mariachis fired off at least 60 rounds, investigators say. The assailants fled on motorcycles. Six people were killed and several others were wounded in the attack, which Mayor Jose Ramon Amieva blamed on a turf war between two local drug gangs, La Union and Anti-Union de Tepito. Both gangs operate in a nearby neighborhood and have been fighting for control of Mexico City's drug trade, Amieva said. "We have nothing to do with that," said Cervantes, who added that about 5,000 families depend on the income of the mariachis who play nightly in Garibaldi Plaza. Mariachis perform at Garibaldi Plaza in downtown Mexico City -- the scene of a deadly attack last month by gunmen dressed as musicians Dancers joined the mariachi musicians for the performance in Garibaldi Plaza -- an effort to attract tourists back to Mexico City in the wake of the deadly shooting Six people were killed and several others were wounded in the "mariachi" gun attack, which Mexico City Mayor Jose Ramon Amieva blamed on a turf war between two local drug gangs, La Union and Anti-Union de Tepito In the buzzwords of George W. Bush's administration, China needed to become a "responsible stakeholder." For Barack Obama, China had an interest in embracing "the rules-based international order." President Donald Trump's message to Beijing is, true to his character, starker. Trump, his Vice President Mike Pence vowed, "will not back down." On Thursday, Pence delivered one of the most hawkish speeches by a senior US official since the two countries restored ties four decades ago. Pence assailed China as a military aggressor, a prolific thief of US technology and, controversially, as interfering in American elections. Yet in a sign that the United States still sees a need for China, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo will visit on Monday after his latest negotiations in North Korea, the nuclear-armed regime which counts on Beijing as its diplomatic and economic lifeline. Pompeo, speaking to the traveling press on his way to Asia, said China was "determined to support our efforts" on North Korea despite the high tensions. Pence in his speech said the United States still hoped for improved relations with China but otherwise drew a bleak picture. He said the United States will keep ramping up its military spending to counter a rising Beijing and he renewed threats to more than double the $250 billion in tariffs placed on Chinese products. "I do think that this marks a significant change in the bipartisan approach to China that has dominated over the last several decades," said Jamie Fly, a former official in the George W. Bush administration who heads the Asia program at the German Marshall Fund of the United States. Pence's speech "doesn't completely preclude cooperation on narrow areas like North Korea, but it's much more clear in the US assessment of Chinese intentions and China's goal of really replacing the US and pushing back US power," he said. - Wide US pessimism on China - While Trump and Pence are polarizing figures, the hard line on China has been increasingly shared across the US political spectrum. Few policymakers with ties to the rival Democratic Party raised broad objections when the Trump White House in December released a National Security Strategy that cast China as a competitor. The bargain set forth by former president Bill Clinton when he welcomed China into the global trading order -- that greater prosperity would bring reforms -- has fallen flat, with President Xi Jinping increasingly clamping down on domestic dissent and religious freedoms tightly controlled. US business leaders, who long advocated warm ties with China as they coveted the world's largest consumer market, have cooled markedly toward Beijing amid complaints of widespread industrial espionage, which Beijing denies. A survey published in August by the Pew Research Center found that the percentage of Americans who viewed China favorably had fallen to 38 percent. Former Australian prime minister Kevin Rudd, a Mandarin-speaking China expert who now heads the Asia Society in New York, in a recent speech said that "engagement," for decades the narrative in relations for both Washington and Beijing, "is now officially and effectively dead." "As a result, I fear we may now also find ourselves on the pathway to medium-term strategic confrontation, as each side competes for ascendancy in what is now seen increasingly on both sides as a zero-sum game," he said. - Domestic factors for Pence - China denounced Pence's speech as "ridiculous." But it has largely stayed measured in its public statements, with Foreign Minister Wang Yi promising last week at the United Nations that the Asian power had no ambition to overtake the United States as the pre-eminent global power and wanted to nurture a stable multilateral system. Without naming the work, he voiced anxiety about the popularity in the United States of Harvard scholar Graham Allison's theory of the "Thucydides Trap," which cites the lessons of ancient Athens and Sparta to predict inevitable US rivalry with a rising China. Beijing may also be emboldened by the turmoil in US politics, with chief Asian allies Japan and South Korea both unnerved by simmering trade tensions with Trump. And Pence was clearly speaking at least partly for a domestic audience in his speech, delivered at the Hudson Institute, a conservative think tank, a little over a month before critical congressional elections. Pence charged that China was taking action that is more malicious than Russia's, just as Trump is under a cloud as special counsel Robert Mueller probes whether his presidential campaign colluded with Moscow. And as evidence of China's election meddling, Pence cited a paid advertisement in a US newspaper and countertariffs that targeted politically important states -- both steps that are commonplace. "China poses a major challenge to the US economic, political and strategic posture, but gratuitously demonizing them with half-truths and distortions only complicates efforts to find a new balance of interests and a redefined relationship with Beijing," said Robert Manning, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council. US Vice President Mike Pence delivered one of the most hawkish speeches by a senior US official since the two countries restored relations four decades ago Pope Francis said Saturday that silence on sexual abuse can "no longer be tolerated" as he ordered an investigation into Vatican archives concerning former archbishop of Washington Theodore McCarrick, who resigned in July. "Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated," said Francis in a Vatican statement in which he declared the Church had to tackle "the grave scourge of abuse within and beyond" the institution. The case of McCarrick triggered a storm in August after Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, a former Vatican envoy to Washington, dropped a bombshell letter accusing the pope of ignoring allegations about the prominent US cardinal, one of the most senior Catholic leaders to face abuse allegations. Following Vigano's letter, US groups representing survivors of sexual abuse by Catholic priests urged the Vatican to publish a list of clerics accused of sexual assault. Saturday's Vatican statement said Francis was "aware of and concerned by the confusion that these accusations are causing in the conscience of the faithful." The statement added: "Both abuse and its cover-up can no longer be tolerated" and said the Church had a duty "to prevent such crimes from being committed in the future to the harm of the most innocent and most vulnerable in society". The statement also underlined that Francis had in an August letter to Catholics stated that "the only way that we have to respond to this evil that has darkened so many lives is to experience it as a task regarding all of us as the People of God. "This awareness of being part of a people and a shared history will enable us to acknowledge our past sins and mistakes with a penitential openness that can allow us to be renewed from within," said the statement. Regarding McCarrick, the Vatican said Francis "has decided that information gathered during the preliminary investigation be combined with a further thorough study of the entire documentation present in the Archives of the Dicasteries and Offices of the Holy See ... to ascertain all the relevant facts, to place them in their historical context and to evaluate them objectively." The Vatican concluded the Holy See recognised "it may emerge that choices were taken that would not be consonant with a contemporary approach to such issues" but that, as Francis said in 2015, "we will follow the path of truth wherever it may lead." 'We will follow the path of truth wherever it may lead', Francis said in 2015 Romanians voted Saturday in a referendum on whether to alter the constitution to define marriage as explicitly between a man and woman, in a move critics say will block same-sex marriage in future. The ruling Social Democrats hope the vote will re-energise flagging grassroots support among the country's overwhelmingly Orthodox population. The current definition -- which speaks simply of "spouses" -- has been in place since 1991. The "yes" vote is widely expected to win, with a poll on Friday showing as many as 90 percent of people in favour. The Social Democratic Party (PSD) has opted to let voters also cast their ballots on Sunday to ensure maximum turnout, as at least 30 percent is required for the result to be valid. Turnout was just over five percent two hours before close of polls on Saturday, according to official figures. There are an estimated 19 million voters. "We expect a stronger showing in rural areas on Sunday after mass, but this trend will have to be replicated all day, including in the cities, to reach the (30 percent) threshold," said sociologist Barbu Mateescu. Among the first to cast their votes was PSD strongman Liviu Dragnea. "The time has come to decide ourselves how we want to live in our country," he said, adding that a "yes" vote was "absolutely not a vote against a minority". From a legal point of view, nothing will change if the "yes" side wins the referendum. Same-sex couples are already not allowed by law to marry or enter into civil partnerships in Romania. Nevertheless, critics say a change in the wording of the constitution will make it difficult or nigh-on impossible for gays and lesbians to marry in future. - Homophobia fears - In Bucharest, voters in favour of the constitution change said they wanted to protect the traditional family. "If we allow gay people to marry, tomorrow they will be asking to adopt children and that would be unacceptable," said one retired man. The country's LGBT community, which already complains that gay people are subject to widespread discrimination on an everyday basis, believes the referendum -- which has the explicit backing of the Orthodox church -- will fuel homophobia still further. Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007 and is the bloc's second-poorest member after Bulgaria, only decriminalised homosexuality in 2001. A defeat would deal a severe blow to the PSD who have been campaigning, albeit unofficially, alongside Orthodox priests for the "yes" side. "My Orthodox education and my traditional upbringing make me say 'yes'," Dragnea said earlier. It was Dragnea, 55, who led the PSD to a sweeping victory in 2016 elections. But he was unable to run for the post of prime minister due to legal troubles, including a two-year suspended prison sentence for vote-rigging in a referendum in 2016. And he is scheduled to appear in court on Monday -- the same day the result of the referendum is expected to be announced -- to appeal another sentence, of three-and-a-half years, over a fake jobs scandal. - Concern in Brussels - The government's decision to press ahead with the referendum has alarmed Brussels, with the EU Commission's deputy chief, Frans Timmermans, reminding Bucharest of its human rights commitments. "I don't want family values to be transformed into arguments that encourage the darkest demons and hatred against sexual minorities," he said earlier. Bela Marko, a poet and former president of the Ethnic Hungarians' Union in Romania, warned that "everything will change the day after the vote, as other initiatives will follow, first against abortion, then on the state's religion, the death penalty, the Roma" and other issues. "In a democracy, the rights of minorities are not put to a vote. That's the difference between the Middle Ages and the 21st century," added the Centre for Legal Resources, a non-profit NGO. A poster calls for a 'Yes' vote in Romania's referendum on whether to alter the constitution to define marriage as explicitly between a man and woman, rather than simply "spouses" Romanian Orthodox Catholic nuns cast their votes. Romania, which joined the European Union in 2007 and is the bloc's second-poorest member after Bulgaria, only decriminalised homosexuality in 2001 Social Democratic Party strongman Liviu Dragnea says his 'Orthodox education and my traditional upbringing' means he will vote yes The message was clear at the Bucharest Pride parade in June During the Soviet era, the country's top computer scientists and programmers largely worked for the secret services. That practice appears to have resumed under President Vladimir Putin, as Russia faces accusations of waging a global campaign of cyber attacks. Dutch officials on Thursday accused four Russians from the GRU military intelligence agency of attempting to hack into the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague. The agency has investigated both the fatal poisoning of Russian former double-agent Sergei Skripal; and an alleged chemical attack by Moscow-allied Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Baltic states were the first to accuse Moscow of mounting attacks to knock out their sites back in 2007. Estonia said one such attack had put the country's main emergency service phone number out of action for over an hour. Since then, accusations of cyber attacks have continued against Moscow. The Russian hacker group variously known as Fancy Bear, APT 28 and Sofacy has been linked to GRU and accused of attacks on the US Democrats' 2016 presidential campaign, together with Russia's FSB security service, the successor to the KGB. The skills of Russian hackers today developed from a tradition of excellent computing and programming skills dating back to the Soviet era. "The whole structure of the economy was skewed towards the military sector," said Oleg Demidov, a consultant at the Moscow-based independent think-tank PIR Center. "All the achievements of Soviet science including the first computers went to serve the military sector." The most brilliant students were pushed to work in the military and space sector, he added. - Banking crime - After the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, its armed forces were broken up and most of the top specialists turned to the nascent banking sector in Russia, either to work there or to attack it. In this era saw the first cyber attacks on banking operations and the first mentions of Russian hackers. "Now Russian hackers are excellently trained and equipped and they still occupy one of the top positions in banking crime," said Demidov -- even if the Russian justice system has begun to crack down on them. In 2016, Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky estimated that between 2012 and 2015, Russian hackers had stolen at least $790 million worldwide. Russian computer scientists study at "very strong universities in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kazan or Krasnoyarsk", said Denis Kuskov of TelecomDaily specialised research agency. They "can work anywhere in the world, in any international company," he added. In recent years, however, more have opted to stay in Russia, he said. "The secret services have grown more interested in good programmers and it's easier for them to find work in Russia now." In 2012, the Russian defence ministry announced it was creating its own "cyber troops". It launched a wide recruitment drive that included promotional videos on social media. For Demidov, the growing wave of attacks attributed to Russian hackers has come about as Russia becomes better able to defend its own cyber security more strongly, the military sphere included. "These efforts... have began to bring results," he said. Today however, even the most established players in Russian IT are in the sights of the West. The US in 2017 imposed a ban on the use of Kaspersky's anti-virus software by federal agencies amid concerns about the company's links to the Russian intelligence services. While many young Russians may choose to work for the military and secret services for reasons of patriotism, some may still be more interested by the money. This week a military tribunal in Moscow held a closed-doors trial for the head of operational control at the FSB's centre for information security, Colonel Sergei Mikhalkov and three alleged accomplices. Kommersant daily reported that they were accused of passing secrets on the Russian secret services' cyber technology to the FBI in return for $10 million. The latest alleged Russian cyber-attack involved what Dutch officials said was an attempt to hack the global chemical weapons watchdog, the OPCW, in The Hague Seven puppies have died and a man in his 50s hospitalised after a fire broke out at a home in Sydneys west. Emergency services were called to the blaze on Michigan Road, Seven Hills at around 11.50pm on Friday. The male sole occupant managed to escape and was taken to Blacktown Hospital for minor smoke inhalation. Firefighters descended on the property late on Friday night. Source: Sunrise Seven red setter puppies died in the fire, with three adult dogs surviving. There were some animals located in the property. Unfortunately some puppies were found deceased but the parents of the dogs were removed safely from the property, Fire and Rescue NSWs Inspector Russell Johnson said. The cause of the fire is under investigation. It is not believed to be suspicious. Seven Red Setter puppies died in the fire. Source: Getty, file. Syrian rebels said Saturday they have begun withdrawing heavy arms from a planned buffer zone in northwestern Idlib province, ahead of a deadline to set up the demilitarised area. The Turkey-backed National Liberation Front (NLF) "has started pulling out its heavy weapons from the zone", the rebel coalition's spokesman Naji Mustafa told AFP. The buffer zone, agreed last month between rebel backer Ankara and government ally Moscow, aims to separate regime fighters from the myriad rebel and jihadist forces of the Idlib region. The accord, reached on September 17, aims to stave off a massive regime assault on the last major rebel bastion by creating a 15 to 20-kilometre (nine to 12-mile) buffer zone ringing the area. All rebels in the demilitarised zone must withdraw heavy arms by October 10, and radical groups must leave by October 15. NLF spokesman Mustafa said the rebel coalition was "maintaining its positions and headquarters with medium and light weapons" inside the buffer zone. The NLF is the main Turkey-backed rebel alliance in the Idlib region, but jihadist heavyweight Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) holds most of the province. The HTS has yet to announce its stance on the buffer zone deal. Fighting erupted on Friday between Ankara-backed rebels and HTS jihadist hardliners near the planned demilitarisation zone, a monitor said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said fighting first began between HTS, led by former Al-Qaeda fighters, and Nour al-Din al-Zinki rebels in the town of Kafr Halab. HTS had reportedly been trying to arrest a local commander in the town on the western edge of Aleppo province, near the administrative border with Idlib. "Zinki sent reinforcements to the area, and the clashes expanded to several areas and the National Liberation Front joined in," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman. The Britain-based Observatory said HTS had taken two towns, including Kafr Halab. At least three civilians, two NLF fighters and an HTS member were killed, the monitor said. Syrian rebels in the Turkey-backed National Liberation Front (similar to the ones pictured Septebmer 2018) have started removing heavy weapons from the buffer zone in northwestern Idlib province Thousands of people attended rallies Saturday across Europe to show support for migrant rescue ship Aquarius, stuck in port in the French city of Marseille after Panama revoked its flag. Dozens of demonstrations were held in France including in Paris, as well as in Brussels, Berlin, Madrid and Palermo. Many dressed in the boat's orange colours and chanted for "a flag for Aquarius" while slamming the "criminal inaction" of EU governments to resolve the impasse. Marseille, home to the SOS Mediterranee NGO which operates the vessel with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), saw the largest show of support. Organisers said 10,000 people took part in the demonstration though police put the figure at nearer 3,500. A similar rally in Paris also drew a crowd of around 10,000, according to the organisers, while police put the figure at a tenth as many. "The goal is to make an appeal to citizens and show that SOS Mediterranee draws its legitimacy from civil society," said the NGO's spokeswoman Sophie Rahal in Paris. Panama last month pulled the ship's flag following a request from Italy's far-right, anti-establishment government, meaning the Aquarius cannot legally set sail. The boat's operators say it has rescued some 29,500 migrants to date and SOS Mediterranee president Francis Vallat said "the situation is more critical than ever". Vallat said although migrant volumes had dropped "we are passing from one death per 42 migrants (at sea) last year to one in 18 migrants" this summer. Attending the Marseille rally, French leftist champion, local lawmaker and leader of La France Insoumise Jean-Luc Melenchon insisted "Aquarius must have a flag -- and a French flag". Meanwhile, around 100 flouted an official protest ban and gathered in the northern port of Calais -- where authorities in late 2016 dismantled the notorious Jungle refugee camp, which at its height at been home to some 10,000 migrants. Immigration remains a hot-button issue in the European Union following the 2015 migration crisis. There are deep divisions among member states over how to handle the continent's biggest influx since World War II. Frontline state Italy has clamped down on asylum-seekers under far-right Interior Minister Matteo Salvini. Saturday saw protesters gather in Riace -- a small hamlet in Italy's deep south which has earned praise for its integration of migrants -- demanding the release of their leftist mayor. Domenico Lucano was placed under house arrest on Tuesday under suspicion of arranging "marriages of convenience" for immigrants and for allegedly skipping a tender process while awarding a garbage management contract to co-operatives with ties to migrants. In office since 2004, Lucano has made headlines around the world for welcoming migrants to the sparsely-populated village in Calabria in a bid to boost jobs and development. "Keep strong, continue fighting," his supporters chanted Saturday as they gathered outside his window from where he raised a fist in support. Many protesters attending rallies across European cities, like here in Marseille, dressed in the rescue boat's orange colours and chanted for "a flag for Aquarius" Protest organisers in Paris said 10,000 people turned up while police put the figure at a tenth as many The largest show of support was in Marseille, where the vessel is currently stuck in port and which is home to its operator the SOS Mediterranee NGO Panama last month pulled the ship's flag following a request from Italy's far-right, anti-establishment government, meaning the Aquarius cannot legally set sail Demonstrators in Marseille held up a banner reading "Aquarius saves lives" A white Chicago police officer was found guilty of murder Friday for fatally shooting a black teenager and triggering months of protests in America's third largest city. Jason Van Dyke fired 16 bullets into 17-year-old Laquan McDonald during the 2014 confrontation. The slaying was captured on police video that showed the knife-wielding teen appearing to walk away from officers when he was shot. The 12-person jury reached a verdict just one day after beginning deliberations. They chose to dispense of first-degree murder charges, and instead convicted Van Dyke of lesser second-degree murder. The officer was also found guilty of 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm -- for each bullet he fired -- and acquitted of one count of official misconduct. "This is a victory for America," said McDonald's great-uncle and family spokesman Marvin Hunter. "Laquan McDonald represents all of the victims that suffered what he suffered." The city of Chicago had already reached a $5 million civil settlement with McDonald's family. A jubilant crowd -- some of whom told local media that they were in shock over the outcome -- grew steadily in the city's downtown business district, demanding additional resignations of city officials and more police reform. - 'Historic for Chicago' - "This is historic for Chicago," community organizer Janette Wilson told reporters. "I would hope that the people of Chicago will really look at this case as a model for the nation." The city had been on edge in advance of the verdict, since the case had already caused political upheaval and months of earlier protests. City officials and business owners beefed up security as the trial neared an end, while thousands of police officers were deployed to the streets. Lead prosecutor Joe McMahon said he hoped the verdict "begins a new chapter in the relationship between law enforcement and the community." "It provides validation and a sense of justice for many residents," he said. The jury reached its verdict after 10 days of testimony in which the officer claimed self-defense, while the prosecution accused him of making a rash and unjustified decision to shoot. The trial had hinged on the video footage showing Van Dyke continuing to fire bullet after bullet -- even after the teen falls to the ground and lies motionless. Crucially, Van Dyke is also seen taking steps toward McDonald before firing, even though he testified that he shot because the teen had gotten too close with his knife. Several jurors told reporters under condition of anonymity that convicting had been straightforward -- although they went for the lesser second-degree murder verdict because they believed Van Dyke's claim that he felt threatened. "Instead of escalating the situation, he should have de-escalated," one said, however. - 'Sacrificial lamb' - Van Dyke was taken straight into custody. Under Illinois state law, he faces four to 20 years for the murder finding while aggravated battery with a firearm carries six to 30 years. The head of Chicago's police union, which funded Van Dyke's defense, promised an appeal and criticized the jury for punishing an officer for simply doing his job. Van Dyke's attorney Dan Herbert said the officer had been made into a "sacrificial lamb" by politicians who wanted to appease an angry public. Van Dyke wasn't criminally charged until the day the video was made public -- which itself did not happen until a year after the shooting and only after a judge forced city officials to do so. The shooting became emblematic of decades of police abuse in the Midwestern city -- often targeted at Chicago's African-American population. There were months of protests and calls for resignations. Activists accused city officials of an attempted cover up. Similar cases of deadly police encounters between police and African Americans have rarely been prosecuted. And when officers have been charged, they have rarely been convicted. In Chicago, the aftermath of the McDonald shooting convulsed the city's politics and led to significant changes in its police department. The city's police chief and lead prosecutor both lost their jobs. The new police chief, Eddie Johnson, recommended that seven officers be fired for filing false reports about McDonald's shooting. Three of the officers have been charged with conspiring to mislead about the threat McDonald had posed. They are awaiting trial. Crowds outside the court house celebrate the guilty verdict in the murder trial of Chicago police officer Jason Van Dyke The National Labor Relations Board issued a decision Friday following a hearing last month regarding which categories of employees at Auburn Memorial Medical Services would be allowed to vote in an effort to unionize. The hearing was held in late September after the petitioning employees, who are seeking to form a union under 1199 SEIU Healthcare Workers East, and AMMS administration disagreed over which employees should be included in the bargaining unit. According to the board hearing officer's decision, the petitioners sought to include approximately 20 types of employees including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, and more, while the administration said the unit should also include 14 nurse practitioners, seven physician assistants, four nurse midwives and one clinical coordinator. The officer ruled in the petitioner's favor, finding that the registered nurses, the only professional-level employees sought by the petitioners, shared "a community of interest sufficiently distinct from the nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and nurse midwives to constitute an appropriate voting unit." "I conclude that the positions of nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and midwives have important and significant distinguishing features that weigh against requiring that they be included in a voting unit with RNs," the decision reads. The officer also ruled that the multi-facility bargaining unit, constituting the 16 different offices divided among seven addresses operated by AMMS, was appropriate. Matthew Chadderdon, vice president of marketing communications and public affairs at Auburn Community Hospital, which is affiliated with AMMS but does not directly employ those workers, said the decision did not change the administration's view of the situation. "We've always said that these employees should be allowed to vote to unionize if that's what they're interested in doing," Chadderdon said in a phone interview Friday. Chadderdon, who had not yet seen the decision, said the administration had argued against the multi-facility approach and for the inclusion of the disputed categories because the "one-size-fits-all approach" was contrary to how AMMS operates and would inhibit flexibility. "With that said, we encourage our employees to get the facts to vote and to see what happens," Chadderdon said. In reaching the conclusion, the officer cited a number important factors including that the nurse practitioners and physician assistants frequently operate as supervisors when doctors are absent, are salaried rather than paid on an hourly rate, and have additional capabilities like the discretion to prescribe drugs or order lab tests. Similarly, the officer ruled that midwives are sufficiently distinct because of differing certification requirements and independent employment agreements with the employer. Another type of position, a clinical coordinator, of which there is only one, must vote under challenge, according to the decision. Anne Bishop, an AMMS nurse who started the process with 1199 SEIU, said the decision, which, like Chadderdon, she had not yet seen, was "amazing" when reached by phone Friday evening. "I am very excited about it. That is great news, I'm ecstatic." Bishop said she would quickly reach out to the union's representatives to determine their next steps, which she said would likely mean creating a listing of eligible employees and determining the date of the election and the number of polling sites for the secret ballot vote. According to Bishop, the employees and the hospital administration had agreed upon an Oct. 18 election date. Documentation from the NLRB was unclear, as it cites a Sept. 26 election date, presumably unchanged from the date set prior to the hearing. The effort to unionize began, according to Bishop, in response to concerns regarding wages and raises, benefits particularly health insurance costs, and time off. AMMS is a multi-specialty group practice that, according to its mission statement, seeks to "engage in the practice of medicine and serve the medical needs of the community served by Auburn Community Hospital, by providing office based primary care and specialty services." The group includes practices for diabetes and endocrinology, ENT, gastroenterology, general surgery, nephrology, neurology, OBGYN services, orthopedic surgery, podiatry, primary care, pulmonary care and urology, according to Chadderdon. All members of the medical staff at AMMS have full hospital privileges at Auburn Community Hospital, but AMMS employees are not employed by the hospital, Chadderdon said. Staff writer Ryan Franklin can be reached at (315) 282-2252 or ryan.franklin@lee.net. Follow him on Twitter @RyanNYFranklin Love 2 Funny 0 Wow 2 Sad 1 Angry 2 Archeologists have uncovered 'slaves' room' near Pompeii, Paul McCartney is looking back on his life and career with a new book, and more of t HIT: To taking advantage of educational opportunities. Cayuga Community College radio station programming director Jeff Szczesniak said that students Chianna Boatman and Autumn Brewer have always gone above and beyond the minimum requirements of working in college radio, so it was no surprise that the two jumped at the chance to explore their passion further. The three recently participated in College Radio Day in Washington, D.C., where they met with Federal Communications Commission Chair Ajit Pai and toured the Sirius XM radio station there. Both students plan to continue their education after CCC, and we believe that their ambitiousness will serve them well. MISS: To a bizarre criminal case in Auburn. A man was sentenced this week to five years in prison for attacking multiple people with a knife last fall near the Mill Street dam. The problem began with a verbal argument, police had said, but only the attacker knows for sure why it ended in violence. The prison sentence is small consolation to one of the victims, who was injured so badly that one of his fingers had to be amputated. HIT: To having a cup of coffee with a cop. The Cayuga County Sheriff's Office sent officials to Dunkin' Donuts shops in Moravia and Fair Haven on Wednesday as part of a national program to help break down misunderstandings between community members and police officers. We think a cup of coffee with a cop is a great way to help people feel more comfortable about interacting with officers, so we applaud the effort. The Citizen editorial board includes publisher Rob Forcey, executive editor Jeremy Boyer and managing editor Mike Dowd. Love 0 Funny 0 Wow 0 Sad 0 Angry 0 WASHINGTON, D.C.Donald Trumps Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh, who has faced three separate allegations of sexual assault or misconduct, appears headed to a narrow confirmation victory in the United States Senate on Saturday, after one of the last supposedly undecided Senators, Republican Susan Collins of Maine, announced that she would vote to confirm Kavanaugh. Collins in a lengthy 3 p.m. speech on the Senate floor Friday, directly addressed the allegations by Palo Alto University research psychologist Christine Blasey Ford, that Kavanaugh sexually attacked her at a teenage house party when he was 17 and she was 15. But in her speech, Collins appeared reluctant to accuse Blasey Ford of fabricating the allegations, instead endorsing the view that Blasey Ford had somehow mistaken Kavanaugh for someone elsedespite the fact that Blasey Ford testified to her "100 percent" certainty in her recollections. I believe she's a survivor of sexual assault and this trauma has upended her life, Collins said. But she went on to claim that Blasey Fords allegations did not meet a standard she decsribed as more likely than not. I do not believe that the claims such as these need to be proved beyond a reasonable doubt. Nevertheless, fairness would dictate that the claims at least should meet a threshold of more likely than not as our standard, she said. The facts presented do not mean that Professor Ford was not sexually assaulted that night or at some other time, but they do lead more to conclude that the allegations fail to meet the more likely than not standard. Therefore, I do not believe that these charges can fairly prevent Judge Kavanaugh from serving on the court. Moments after Collins concluded her speech, West Virginia Senator Joe Manchin became the only Senate Democrat to announce his support for Kavanaugh, saying on his Twitter account that though he had reservations about this vote given the serious accusations against Judge Kavanaugh, he had concluded that Kavanaugh was a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution. Earlier on Friday, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska signaled that she may become the only one of the 51 Republicans in the Senate to oppose Kavanaugh, when she voted no on a procedural vote that allowed the Senate to proceed with the confirmation process. No other Republican voted no on the procedural vote, but all Democrats except Manchin opposed it. Another potentially undecided Republican, Arizonas Jeff Flake, also announced that he would support Kavanaugh, meaning that if Murkowski sticks with her no vote, Kavanaughs confirmation will be approved in Saturdays vote, 51-49. Reaction to Collins' decision, apparently sealing Kavanaughs confirmation, was swift and sharp. Senator Collins just committed to casting a vote to confirm an accused sexual predator, a vote to confirm a nominee that has been promised to criminalize abortion, a vote to disregard the trauma of women and survivors. SHAME, wrote NARAL Pro-Choice America on the groups Twitter account. You can tell the bad-faith is strong with this speech because shes complaining about the dark money spent opposing Kavanaugh without mentioning the considerably larger amount spent on his behalf, noted Vox.com editor Matthew Yglesias. Collins in her speech also dismissed allegations by Julie Swetnick, a client of Stormy Daniels lawyer Michale Avenatti, who says she recalls Kavanaugh participating in parties at which girls were drugged and sexually assaulted by multiple high school boys. Collins called Swetnicks allegations outlandish and "stark reminder of why the presumption of innocence is so ingrained in our American consciousness." That prompted a quick response from Avenatti, posted to his Twitter account. Senator Collins should be ashamed of herself for attacking my client and Dr. Ford, Avenatti wrote. How did she make a credibility determination as to my client? How is she qualified to do that without ANY investigation? She did ZERO to determine whether my client and her witnesses were credible. The final vote to confirm Kavanaugh, which now appears to be at best a formality, is scheduled for Saturday. Photo By U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit / Wikimedia Commons Public Domain SAN FRANCISCOLeading sex ed platform O.school has launched a new, educator-focused initiative in honor of World Teachers Day (Friday, October 5), to help teachers across the world better answer student's sex-and-gender related questions. The O.school Sex Educators Pack raises awareness of the dangers of abstinence-only-sex ed, and provides free instructional tools and videos related to sex and sexuality to any teacher that wants to use them. Most educators want to speak accurately about issues facing youth, but lack the resources or institutional support, said Andrea Barrica, the founder of O.school. As a leader in online sex ed, we want to help educators across the globe talk confidently about sexuality, gender and consent by providing media-rich resources free from shame, censorship or stigma. Beginning today, O.school will provide free videos for educators on topics including the genital anatomy, sexuality, gender identity, pornography, masturbation, and consent. In addition to the videos, O.school will also send any educator who asks a free, 3D model of the clitoris, Tea and Empathy Cards to help students talk about feelings, and recent data and studies about teen sexuality. On October 17, O.school will host an interactive livestream specifically for teachers to engage on issues specific to youth sex education and development. If we want to educate children properly, we need to support our educators properly, said Barrica. For this World Teachers Day, we wanted to provide resources for educators and help them talk with students in ways that minimize shame and stigma. Some sample videos include: Educators who wish to sign-up for the free pack may contact [email protected] LOS ANGELESHey, adult fans: Ever tried one of those dating applications like Tinder? And how was it? Did you successfully get to date one of those girls and, what is even more important, have your rendez-vous finish with some hardcore fucking? Even though this world is full of willing women, usually it is not that easy to get to bed one of themor at least, VR Bangers claims, it was not before the introduction of the VR Bangers dating app. With Splindr, a new mobile dating application from Virtual Reality Bangers, the producers claim a 100% success rate of getting into the panties of some wet babesor at least, that's what happens in the company's latest VR porn scene Its A Match!, a VR porn fantasy about the Splindr app starring hottie Lena Paul. In this VR scene, the girl becomes a horny beta tester of the app, hoping to get herself a hard dick to jump on to finally achieve the sexual satisfaction. Lena Paul is one of beta testers of our Splindr app inside of this VR porn movie, said Alex Nash, the producer of VR Bangers. She is a professional VR porn starone of those girls who are always hornyand she was more than happy to browse for some hot dudes from her neighborhood to make one of them get lucky today. Thanks to our virtual reality technology, every fan of ours can now impersonate the guy chosen by Lena, even though she was really picky and kept swiping left all the time; in the end she chose our gifted male VR porn performer and a hardcore banging could finally begin. Though presented in 6K ultra high definition, this is still just a VR porn fantasy and Lena gets to the meeting place really fast to begin the whole fuck date as soon as possible. In only a matter of minutes, she will be kneeling naked in front of the viewer's own eyes, getting his schlong ready for some hard pounding, letting all the VR Bangers fans enjoy her juicy pussy inside of their virtual reality. We are sorry to say that but we are not going to release the application for any users in real life, Nash explained. Even though, as it can be seen in this latest VR porn movie of ours, it works flawlessly and provides a 100% guarantee of getting laid, making it available to a broader audience would literally ruin our virtual reality porn business. Who in his right mind would watch porn if getting into the panties of a girl was so effortless? Yeah, my point exactly! Those interested can watch this VR porn scene in 3D 180 by going over here, and those who would like to view some other VR Bangers productions in HD, 4K or 6K UHD can visit the company's main page, here, as well. North Carolina has won a federal grant totaling $23.6 million over five years to expand charter school opportunities.Dave Machado, state Office of Charter Schools director, announced the awards Wednesday, Oct. 3 during the monthly meeting of the State Board of Education. Machado told board members the state has tried to win the grants over the past three years.North Carolina is one of eight states to receive the Expanding Opportunities through Quality Charter School Program grants from the U.S. Department of Education. The other states are Michigan, Arkansas, Idaho, New York, Arizona, Delaware, and Colorado.Machado said.The federal grant will be divided into four sub-grants. One will assist new charter schools, which will serve a large economically disadvantaged student population during their planning year. Another will assist charter schools in their first three years of operation serving a large economically disadvantaged student population. The third grant will assist high-quality charter schools that want to expand to serve more low-income students.State Superintendent Mark Johnson said in a news release.The application deadline for charter schools to apply for the grants is early next spring. Awards will be announced by the end of the school year. North Carolina has 185 operating charter schools, and eight more plan to open next year. Hurricane Florence damages U.S. 421. Photo from the N.C. Department of Transportation. Hurricane Florence severely damaged schools across North Carolina and left hundreds of thousands of children without homes or classrooms. State education officials are working to return the communities back to normal with help from charitable giving and the legislature.Education officials outlined the devastation wrought by Hurricane Florence at the Oct. 3 State Board of Education meeting.The storm battered eastern North Carolina in September and led to extensive flooding. At least 39 people have died as a result of the storm. Thousands have lost their homes and are living in hotels or temporary shelters. The cost of damages to housing, infrastructure, and crops could be in the billions.The storm caused at least 1.2 million students - or 80 percent of all PreK-12 students in public schools - to miss some school time. Several school districts including Craven County schools and Robeson County schools remain closed from the severity of damages.Eileen Townsend, section chief for school insurance at DPI, said more than 100 claims have been filed in the wake of Hurricane Florence. More are coming. Townsend said the fund has reserved $40 million to address the claims. Damages have surpassed Hurricane Matthew, which saw $14 million in losses for DPI-insured property.Townsend said.Those with the most immediate need will be the top priorities, Townsend told board members.Lynn Harvey, section chief of DPI's child nutrition services, told the board the school food program will lose about $14 million in federal money and has losses of about $2 million in food and equipment. Kevin Harrison, the DPI transportation services chief, said while bus garages did flood, destroying files and computers, only a few school buses were damaged or lost. Harrison said buses are ready to start transporting kids to and from school once the schools reopen.Meanwhile, steps at the state and local level will help communities recover from the devastating storm.The General Assembly met briefly Oct. 2 to pass legislation that appropriates $6.5 million to DPI. The money will supplement lost compensation for school lunch employees who are paid through the national school lunch program. When school isn't in session, they don't get paid.Gov. Roy Cooper on Oct. 3 signed bills passed during the one-day special session. FAST NC - Florence Aid for Students and Teachers - was created to address the needs of public school students and teachers who were hurt by the storm. The initiative was formed by current and former state superintendents in an effort to help those affected.said Mike Ward, a former state superintendent.Along with Ward, a coalition of education leaders, including the current state Superintendent Mark Johnson; former state Superintendent June Atkinson; State Board of Education Chairman Eric Davis; former SBE Chairman Phil Kirk; and Henry Johnson, former U.S. assistant secretary of education, make up the steering committee for FAST NC.While in-kind donations are appreciated, Ward said FAST NC prefers monetary donations to help with the recovery effort. Donations can be made on FAST NC's website or sent via check to NC Education Fund, State Board of Education, 6336 Mail Service Center, Raleigh, NC 27699. A bipartisan committee will decide where the money will go after assessing requests and determining which agencies or groups should handle the donations.Atkinson said. Participants pose after a debate on a proposed photo ID amendment to the N.C. Constitution, hosted in Washington, N.C. by the N.C. Institute of Politics. From left to right: Sen. Erica Smith, D-Northampton; Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett; Spectrum News host and moderator Loretta Bonita; Civitas Institute president Donald Bryson; and Southern Coalition for Social Justice director Kareem Crayton. (Photo by Will Rierson). Board of Elections, Oct. 9, at the Clayton Center in Clayton Income tax cap, Oct. 16, at the Gastonia Conference Center WASHINGTON. N.C. A proposed constitutional amendment requiring a photo ID to vote has sparked controversy in state politics.The amendment , which will appear on the November ballot, represents a second attempt at enacting photo ID rules for state voters. An earlier law that required photo ID was struck down in 2017 by the Fourth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals as a violation of the Voting Rights Act.Four political veterans debated the amendment here Wednesday, Oct. 3, in the second of the four-part Hometown Debate Series hosted by the N.C. Institute of Political Leadership.The panels consisted of two legislators and two policy experts.State Rep. David Lewis, R-Harnett, and Civitas Institute president Donald Bryson spoke in support of the amendment. N.C. Sen. Erica Smith, D-Northampton, and Kareem Crayton, director of the Southern Coalition for Social Justice, spoke in opposition.Lewis said requiring photo ID would help prevent voter fraud.Lewis said.Smith said North Carolina already has voter identification, though the state's current voter registration card doesn't include a photo of the registered voter.Smith said.Bryson said Civitas Institute polling finds North Carolina voters appear to broadly support requiring a photo ID to vote.Crayton echoed Smith's statement that North Carolina already has a voter registration and identification process. He said passing the amendment would mean trusting lawmakers to implement it and was different from supporting the general concept of voter ID.Crayton said.Smith and Crayton said requiring photo ID would disproportionately affect African-American voters, some of whom don't have driver's licenses, which are the most common form of identification. They asked why a bureaucratic process was needed to mandate IDs and how it would work.Smith said.She and Crayton said there were far fewer instances of voter fraud than disenfranchisement in the state. Smith cited a Democracy North Carolina study that says African-Americans were disproportionately affected by the original photo ID requirement, which only affected the 2016 primaries.Bryson said it was impossible to determine the level of voter fraud in the state because no description is taken of those who try to vote.Smith suggested Russian meddling posed a bigger threat to the integrity of North Carolina elections than domestic voter fraud due to lack of identification.Lewis dismissed the idea that the Russians could hack the vote-counting system and said photo ID is a simple concept.Lewis said.Lewis said if the amendment is passed the legislature would construct a law to implement photo ID that withstands legal scrutiny. He's not sure it would happen during the lame duck 2018 session or next year.In 2013, the Republican-led General Assembly passed a law in 2013 dealing with the regulation of elections. The law included a photo ID requirement to vote, and the state specified several forms of acceptable identification. Photo ID was required during the 2016 primary elections, before the law was overturned later that year. Federal judges ruled the legislature acted with discriminatory intent.Wednesday's debate was held at the Turnage Theatre and recorded by Spectrum News. Spectrum senior political reporter and host Loretta Boniti moderated. The debate will appear online in its entirety and in an edited form to be broadcast 11:30 a.m., Sunday, Oct. 7, and again at 8:30 p.m. on "In Focus With Loretta Boniti."The N.C. Institute of Political Leadership is a nonpartisan organization that since 1988 has worked to train leaders for public service in North Carolina.Series sponsors for the 2018 Hometown Debates include North Carolina's Electric cooperatives, the N.C. Sheriffs Association, and the John William Pope Foundation.Two debates on proposed constitutional amendments remain for the fall 2018 series. Both will start at 7 p.m. and are open to the public: Assyrians Commemorate Martyrs Day Amid Strife and Exodus From Middle East The Arabic letter "n" (inside red circle), signifying "Nasrani" (Christian), on an Assyrian home in Mosul. (AINA) -- August 7 is Assyrian Martyrs Day. It is commemorated worldwide by Assyrians to remember their fallen, including the 3,000 who were killed by the Iraqi army in Iraq between August 7 and 11, 1933 in the town of Simmele (), North Iraq, and its surroundings. It was carried out by the Iraqi Army, led by General Bakir Sidqi, a Kurd, and Kurdish and Arab irregulars. On August 7 Assyrians will commemorate Assyrians Martyrs Day world wide, but the situation for Assyrians in the Middle East is bleak, with an unstoppable exodus to the West. Assyrian Organizations Ask Iraq to Recognize 1933 Massacre of Assyrians A coalition of four Assyrian organizations from the Unites States, Canada and Europe has sent a letter to the Iraqi government asking for official recognition of the massacre of Assyrians by the Iraqi army in August, 1933. Called the Simmele massacre, it was conducted in the Assyrian town of Simmele and its surroundings by the Iraqi army and Kurdish and Arab irregulars, between August 7 and August 11 of 1933 (Read the full story here). Your browser does not support the video tag. Interview with Simmele Survivor The Turkish Genocide of Assyrians Between 1915 and 1918 750,000 Assyrians (75%), 500,000 Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks and Kurds in a genocide that aimed at and nearly succeeded in destroying the Christian communities in the Ottoman Empire. The ISIS Genocide The Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) captured the city of Mosul, Iraq on June 10. Almost immediately thereafter it began to drive Assyrians out of Mosul and destroy Christian and non-Sunni institutions. 200,000 fled from Baghdede (Qaraqosh), Bartella, Karamles and dozens of Assyrian villages and towns in the Nineveh Plain north of Mosul, most have not returned. In Syria, ISIS attacked Assyrian villages, abducted and killed Assyrians, destroyed churches and Assyrian archaeological sites. I am offering the solution to a problem most Republicans don't know they have -- that they can be outmaneuvered and thrown on the defensive endlessly, on nearly any issue, because they accept as true Democrat lies about the Republican Party. To correct that misperception and to help the Republican Party get 'back to basics' is why I'm a man on a mission. A few years ago, after one of my speeches, a man told me "Do you know what your problem is? You're too far ahead of your time!" My efforts to show Republicans how they would benefit from celebrating the heritage of our Grand Old Party have been arduous, but if this were easy someone else would have already done it. Among my speech topics are Reconciling the Tea Party and the GOP; Barack Obama, the Worst President Ever; Socialism, the new Slavery; Appreciating the Heritage of our Grand Old Party; Returning to the Founding Principles of the United States; The Womens Rights Achievements of our Grand Old Party; Abraham Lincoln, Republican; Frederick Douglass, Republican; Martin Luther King and the Republican Civil Rights Legacy. Opinion It suits Steve Bannon to be martyr in prison If I was planning a coup detat and the overthrow of the government of the United States of America, Id not really go out of my way to blab about what I knew, before or after the event. If what they say is true about Steve Bannon, Top official of the Catholic Church in Czechia rails against a convention guaranteeing women's human rights 6. 10. 2018 / Jan Culik cas cteni 3 minuty Former Czech Education Minister and currently "Chaplain of His Holiness", Monsignor Petr Pitha has voiced the resistance of the Czech Catholic Church against the Istanbul Convention, which is trying to guarantee women's rights. Pitha sharply criticised The Istanbul Convention in his sermon in the Prague cathedral, accusing it of "destroying the institution of the family". Pitha is one of the most senior officials of the Catholic Church in the Czech Republic. In his sermon in the Prague cathedral, he warned that "your families will be torn apart, your children will be imprisoned, your children themselves will be deciding about what is their sex. For your disagreement you will be deported to concentration camps. Homosexuals will rule supreme over you. All animals will be above you, because they will not be suffering under such subjugation as you will be." "Freedom either exists, or it does not and then it is non-freedom," he said. "We are now supposed to succumb to the pressures of a powerful pressure group of gender activists and homosexualists and to make non-freedom law. Your families will be torn apart and destroyed. This will happen whenever you will say to your children that a man and a woman are not identical. They will take away your children and will hide from you where they have put them, where they are imprisoning them. A false accusation will be enough for this. It will no longer be allowed to determine the sex of your new-born children by looking at their crotch. The child himself or herself will be deciding what its sex is. This is why you will be forced to bring up your children as sexless beings and you will not even be allowed to give them names. Whenever you express disagreement, you will be deported into corrective and educational labour camps of a genocidal nature. Homosexuals will be proclaimed to be a superior ruling class. You will become a part of an inferior auxiliary class and you will be forced to work according to the orders of powerful elites which will be determining what can and what cannot be said in public. You will be made subordinate to all animals who multiply by means of sexual intercourse because no laws will be imposed on cats, frogs or insects." Monsignor Petr Pitha's speech in Czech: What is the Istanbul Convention? This is a 2011 European Convention whose aim it is to create an environment of zero tolerance of violence against women. The text of the Convention is HERE. The Istanbul Convention demands preventative action and accessible help for victims of violence. It defines gender-based violence as an infringement of human rights and as discrimination of women. Only Armenia, Azerbaijan and Russia have refused to sign the Istanbul Convention. Seven Czech churches have demanded that the Czech Republic does not sign the Istanbul Convention: V souvislosti se svatovaclavskym kazanim Petra Pithy (dostupne https://t.co/bz3TddOY11 ) doplnujeme, ze cirkve v CR formulovaly spolecne stanovisko ke schvalovani dokumentu, dostupne https://t.co/x0DpToS6la Arcibiskupstvi (@apha_cz) October 5, 2018 0 6864 Czech extreme right wing activists, nativists and nationalists are also protesting strongly against the Istanbul Convention which is trying to protect women's human rights.Sources in Czech HERE Republican senator Susan Collins of Maine gave a lengthy speech in the Senate today, announcing she'll vote in support of Donald Trump's Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh. The judge is an accused serial sexual assaulter who repeatedly lied to lawmakers under oath during his confirmation hearings. It looks like Collins will cast the deciding "yes" vote to place Trump's dirty candidate on the nation's highest court. "As she delivered her lengthy speech on the Senate floor, a crowd-funding site created to fund a Democratic challenge to Collins in 2020 crashed," Rolling Stone reports. "This entire process was up to Collins," says Amy Halsted, co-director of Maine People's Alliance, which launched the campaign. "And today she did the wrong thing." The Crowdpac campaign, which the progressive grassroots organization started with the express purpose of swaying Collins' vote on the Kavanaugh nomination, had raised more than $2 million before Collins' speech. Halsted was listening to Collins on the radio while picking her children up from school. She hadn't heard, when contacted by Rolling Stone, that the site had crashed under the weight of requests, but she says, "it doesn't surprise me that the website is crashing because people are mad." "This vote is a complete betrayal of Maine voters, of the women who have called her offices, and written letters and organized phone banks and attended rallies and told their very deeply painful stories to her and her staff. I think it's the end of whatever legacy she has worked so hard to achieve as a moderate," Halsted ssays. "I don't think Mainers will forget this vote." Collins won reelection in Maine with 67 percent of the vote in 2014, but her home state support has dropped in recent months. A Suffolk University poll in early August found that less than 50 percent of respondents had a favorable opinion of the Republican senator, and a Public Policy Polling survey conducted just this week found that more than half of Maine voters thought Kavanaugh's nomination should be rejected, and 49 percent said they would be less likely to support Collins if she voted to confirm. Voters, Halsted said, "are ready to support a senator from Maine who is going to stand up for Mainers and do what's right for the country, regardless of political party and I think people realize Susan Collins is not that senator." - The Job Summit introduced SA to President Ramaphosa's job pact - In this pact, the president makes a lot of big promises - The aim of the pact is to secure jobs for more South Africans PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! President Ramaphosa shared his jobs pact with South Africans at the Jobs Summit on Thursday. In this pact, Ramaphosa outlined a number of things that he proposes to change and implement to give unemployment in SA a slow death. The president's ideas include focusing on funding black businesses and moderating executive payments. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app Briefly gathered all the information available on the president's job pact and put into a brief list, for your convenience. 1. Focus on agriculture President Ramaphosa did not mention land expropriation but he did talk about land. He says fresh food exports will become much more lucrative in the future. By the President's prediction, exports could rise to R90 billion by 2030. He wants to support black and woman-owned farms so they can cultivate land better and help ease unemployment by expanding. A R600 million facility has been developed for new owners of distributed land. 2. Big numbers The president did not aim low with his job pact. He wants drastic changes and for that to happen he has big ideas. The aim is to have 275 000 new jobs every year over the next 5 years. Once again, the focus fell on black-owned businesses. Targeted investments and loans will be given by banks - up to the value of R100 billion over 5 years. 3. The 6% unemployment target is unlikely The president wants to cut down unemployment to 6% by 2030. This is an unrealistic expectation, according to a report by News24. Even at 275 000 new jobs a year, this ideal could not be reached. Unless some really extraordinary measures are taken, even more than those proposed by the President, will this be feasible. READ ALSO: Nhlanhla Nene responds to his testimony: 'I beg your forgiveness' 4. Unemployment erodes dignity When President Ramaphosa spoke about the effects of unemployment, he spoke not as a politician, but as a fellow South African. It diminishes the human ability to eradicate poverty, tackle inequality and working poor. It has a devastating effect on families and communities. It erodes dignity. As you look at unemployed people, they go around like zombies aimless. They have their dignity destroyed and eroded. Financial disclosure and lifestyle audits for civil servants 5. Civil servants scrutinised The president is aware that government officials stand between South Africa and its employment hopes. By acting corrupt and not awarding business to South Africans that need it, unemployment is aided. President Ramaphosa wants lifestyle audits undertaken and full financial disclosure from government employees. 6. The reason for SA's crisis President Ramaphosa dived a bit into the history of the country to explain why it is in the current situation. Extreme unemployment is the product of an economy starved for decades of meaningful investment in its people through education. The structure of our economy which was built on the extraction of minerals and (to some extent it) remains untransformed. 7. Cut salaries, not jobs An idea that the president calls revolutionary, is to make cuts on salaries rather than fire employees. While this is a noble idea welcomed by the public, it is sure to ruffle the feathers of those whose salaries could be in danger now. 8. A small start, but a start none the less A new clothing factory that will employ 200 people will be opened in the Eastern Cape by the trade unions. This may be a small idea when compared to the president's other aims, but at least something will get done. 9. A timelined plan Previously, ideas proposed at Job Summits withered away and died. This time, President Ramaphosa hopes to keep his plans alive by having a structured timeline for implementation. The social partners have agreed that there will be a framework agreement that is both ambitious and realisable. In conclusion President Ramaphosa wants to make South Africa great again. He wants South Africa to come first. By supporting local goods and businesses, the president is convinced that South Africa can grow greatly. The president said that if we do not buy goods made by South African hands, there will be no factories and no workers, as reported on by Briefly.co.za. 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. Watch what happens to Two lovebirds in a car in the middle of the night...and check out what else is going on at Briefly South Africa's YouTube channel. Source: Briefly.co.za - Amid South Africa's economic crisis, some MEC's continue to live a financially care-free life - North West MEC Hoffman Galeng enjoys security detail worth R50 000 a month at a home he doesn't permanently reside in - The MEC is also accused of using a state vehicle for private matters, but this allegation is denied PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! According to reports, the social development department of the North West is spending R50 000 a month on 24-hour security detail for Hoffman Galeng. Galeng has 4 security guards that work 2 per shift at his home in Vryburg every day. Why Galeng need these guards is unclear because he normally stays at his home in Mahikeng. Galeng's security detail comes from a company that has contracts to protect governmental buildings. If this protection continues, the department would have spent roughly R650 000 on protecting Galeng's house by the end of October. When asked about this protection, the department didn't say if the right procedures were followed to procure the security guards, according to a report by TimesLIVE. A reason for the guards was not supplied either. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app Galeng became MEC when he was appointed by former North West Premier Supra Mahumapelo in August 2017. The security detail has been at his house since then. According to an ex-MEC and chairperson of Scopa (standing committee on public accounts ), this is irregular. Since Galeng does not live at his Vryburg home regularly, the protection shouldn't be assigned there. READ ALSO: Steve Hofmeyr explains why he refuses to call Grahamstown Makhanda The security is not the only perk Galeng seems to be enjoying. The MEC is apparently also in possession of a state vehicle that was assigned to his office in Mahikeng that he uses for personal reasons. Departmental spokesperson Petrus Siko denies this allegation. Do you have a scandalous story to share with South Africa? Let us know on Facebook and we could be sharing the scandal. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today. Watch 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 Bradley Steyn's brother-in-law was murdered on his farm in Nelspruit last week and it shook his family. He recorded a video pleading with the rest of the world to help South Africa do something about the murders in the country. PAY ATTENTION: Click "See First" under the "Following" tab to see Briefly news on your News Feed! Farmers are being murdered in South Africa. It's happening, and it's real. That's the message that Bradley was trying to send to the world when he recorded himself shortly after the murder of his sister's husband. The murders across South Africa are affecting all of our citizens. We ask that you share this around the world and we urge you to please contact your local government representatives, and forward this information and make the World aware that farm attacks in South Africa are very real. John Bosman was shot and stabbed as he tried to fight off the intruders while telling his wife to barricade herself in their bedroom and call their security company. The armed response arrived and shot at the murderers, but they were too late. John did not survive the attack. PAY ATTENTION: Save mobile data with FreeBasics: Briefly is now available on the app It's not only white farmers that are murdered. Last week a black farmer was also murdered on his farm in the Free State. Bradley called on the world to help lift what he called gag orders on the press. He feels the media is being forced to keep quiet about the extent of farm murders. READ ALSO: SA prophet claims he holds demons prisoner in his bible Do you have something interesting to tell us? Message us on Facebook and we could be sharing your story. To stay up to date with the latest news, download our news app on Google Play or iTunes today. Watch the Animated Joke: What Happened In A Locker Room? and head over to Briefly South Africa's YouTube channel for more awesome videos. Source: Briefly.co.za News / National by Staff reporter AN 18-YEAR-OLD man from Cowdray Park suburb in Bulawayo has been arrested after he allegedly raped a nine-year-old girl who was left under his uncle's care.The man - who cannot be named to protect the identity of the minor - allegedly raped the minor several times and threatened to stab her with a knife that he kept in his room.The victim, a court heard, was scared of telling her mother but she wrote a letter and left it on her bed. The man appeared before Bulawayo magistrate Ms Sibonginkosi Mnkandla and pleaded guilty to rape charges.He was sentenced to a wholly suspended three years in jail on condition that he does not commit a similar offence in the next five years. He was also ordered to go for counselling.The prosecutor, Ms Concilia Ncube said sometime in January this year, the minor's mother left her and her younger brother at their pastor's house as she returned to South Africa.In February, the minor and her younger brother were sleeping on the floor while the accused was sleeping on the bed.The minor woke up screaming and her brother noticed the accused was sleeping next to her undressed and he immediately went back to his bed. "On the following day, the boy ordered the minor's younger brother to take a bath while he took the minor into his bedroom," said Ms Ncube."He ordered the minor to sleep on the bed and raped her once before threatening to stab her if she told anyone about the matter".The court heard that she once told her friend who told the accused about the matter and he assaulted her with a knobkerrie before threatening to kill her if she told anyone. The accused continued to rape the minor until August when the juvenile and her younger brother returned to their mother in South Africa. A few days after she had arrived in South Africa, she wrote a letter and left it on top of the bed for her mother to see."When her mother saw the letter she asked her neighbour to talk to the minor before taking her to hospital," said Ms Ncube.She was taken to a hospital in South Africa and they were advised to report the matter to the Zimbabwean police. The matter was reported at the Cowdray Park Police Station leading to the man's arrest. News / National by STep[hen Jakes Zimbabwe Communist Party secretary genral Ngqabutho Mabhena has said Zimbabwe's Minister of Finance Prof Mthuli Ncube, is no different from the late Minister of Finance Dr Bernard ChidzeroHe said the nation went through pain in 1991 when Dr Chidzero introduced Economic Structural Adjustment Programme (ESAP) and it is are once again going through economic pain thanks to Prof Mthuli Ncube and the reactionary former liberation movement ZANU (PF)."Unfortunately, the MDC Alliance offers no alternative, it is competing with ZANU (PF) on a neo liberal agenda. The only alternative lies in the unity of the working class and peasants under the leadership of its vanguard," he said.he made reference to Ncube's presentation that,*Civil servants to be retrenched Finance Minister*Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has presented his eagerly anticipated policy statement and has announced a raft of cost-cutting measures including retrenchment of civil servants.Measures will include:- Cutting down on travel expenses- Cutting down vehicle purchases- Reduction of MP allowances- Closing some foreign missions- State-owned enterprises to be sold- AIPPA and POSA to be repealedCivil servant wages currently account for 90% of all government expenditure while government is the largest buyer of new vehicles (about $200 million).Ncube described his 2% money transfer as "necessary pain" but said it might be "fine-tuned" in the next budget. The fine-tuned caveat suggests he may be trying to create political room to backpedal to the rumoured 0.5% position. News / National by Simbarashe Sithole Guruve prison officers were left with an egg on the face after a Mushumbi prisoner took to his heels in a nearby bush at the prison yesterday.A reliable source alleges George Chahukura (20) fled at a tremendous speed there by forcing prison officers to chase shadows for the better part of the day."The prisoner fled unexpectedly from a brick moulding site in the camp to an unknown destination up to now prison officers are clueless on where to find him ,"said the source.Chahukura was serving three months of assault and was set to be released on 5 November 2018.Apparently, there is another prisoner Tafadzwa Gwata (24) who escaped in August 2018 after being convicted of attempted stock theft and he is still at large.People who spoke to Bulawayo24.com have expressed dismay over the continuous escape of inmates at Guruve."This habit of inmates escaping from prison is not good for both the organasation and the community mind you inmates are dangerous people but l strongly feel corruption is the root cause here," said David Gwinje.Another source blamed the prison officers of not valuing their work as most of them are slaves of beer."You see why we have inmates running away, it's because these officers are slaves of beer hence they do not value their work it is very disgusting," fumed Phelimon Dambaza. News / National by Staff reporter Finance minister Mthuli Ncube has warned Zimbabweans to brace for more pain as he tries to pull the country's tottering economy out of its current state.The well-regarded former banker has also said there is no going back on the controversial two cents per dollar transactional tax which has left a wide cross- section of Zimbabweans apoplectic with rage following its effect on the economy.Addressing a media briefing where he unveiled his Transitional Stabilisation Programme (TSP), Ncube said things were going to be painful before they got better."We need to stop the bleeding and this is one way to do it; we can't do this without pain. At the end we will be glad, we need to fix our problem together; I need all hands on the deck."I will be honest; there will be a little pain as we try to redress the economy. People don't realise that already they have been paying indirectly for the sickly economy."The previous tax has been regressive, people were paying very little. We do, however, have leeway in future to fine-tune the taxes," Ncube told journalists.The founder of the now defunct Barbican Bank said the two cents per dollar tax was "nothing" compared to what other countries were paying, adding that the collected proceeds would benefit the social services sector."There is a country in Africa; I won't name it, which is charging 15 percent for electronic transactions. It is a norm across Africa. Government will do its part in controlling expenditure; we will be accountable for the taxes you are paying."Soon we shall come back and tell you how many hospital beds we have bought, how many roads we have fixed," Ncube said."The new tax will be mainly set aside for the social services sector, and focus will be on the marginalised areas; to ensure that they have access to health and education."We have made a commitment, you will not see this money going into travel expenses or purchasing of motor vehicles. If it means we will scale down on the vehicles that we buy as government then we will do that. We will even buy locally," he added.Ncube said contrary to the criticism that he didn't consult when he announced his measures this week, he had consulted widely before unveiling them."Oh, I did make consultations people should not focus on whether I made consultations or not, but rather what we want to do," he said.On Monday, Ncube announced a slew of measures in the Fiscal statement as President Emmerson Mnangagwa's government put in motion plan to reverse the current economic slide."I hereby review the Intermediated Money Transfer Tax from 5 cents per transaction to 2 cents per dollar transacted, effective October 1, 2018."I am therefore directing financial institutions, banks and Zimra, working together with telecommunication companies to extend the collection to all electronic transactions," Ncube announced on Monday.But the government's new measures to stabilise the country's sickly economy have been rejected by a wide cross section of the Zimbabwean populace - who feel that the steps taken by authorities will worsen their suffering.Already militant labour unions have warned they are preparing to go on strike - to protest the two cents per dollar tax - and which they say must be reviewed by the government as a matter of urgency. News / National by Simbarashe Sithole A Gweru man was last week sentenced to 15 years in jail by Bulawayo High Court judge sitting on circuit in Gweru Martin Makonese for killing a patron during a beer binge.Emmanuel Bhumure (38) of stand number 43 Hertfordshire Gweru fatally stabbed Brigadiah Mahachi with a knife after a misunderstanding .Justice Makonese convicted Bhumure of murder with constructive intent before sentencing him to 15 years.On 5 September 2017 around 2200 hours Bhurmure was drinking beer with the deceased at Red Tuckshop along the Harare'Gweru highway when the two had a misunderstanding after the deceased allegedly restrained the accused from fighting with another patron.Bhumure pulled a knife and stabbed the deceased once on the left side of the chest, just above the left breast, the deceased screamed as a result of the stab and shouted that he had been stabbed by the convict.The convict ran away and the deceased was ferried to Gweru General Hospital where he died the following day.On 7 September 2017, the accused was arrested in Harare and made indications at the scene which resulted in the discovery of the knife which he used.In mitigation counsel for the accused Mr Lenon Mapfumo acting Prodeo argued that he had been incarcerated since 13 September last year, sentence must not be retributive but must give offenders a second chance and the possibility of rehabilitation and reintegration into the society, that accused was a father of four and his health was also in poor condition.However, the judge in passing sentence noted that drinking places were becoming synonymous with violent behaviour instead of places where people relax and enjoy themselves."The sentence to be imposed must be just hence 15 years would retain the confidence of the public in the justice system," said Makonese. Opinion / Columnist "In this world, nothing can be said to be certain, except death and taxes," observed presciently Benjamin Franklin (1706-1790), one of the founding fathers of the United States, who was both a philomath - a seeker of knowledge and facts; and a polymath - a person of wide knowledge and learning, whose expertise spans a significant number of different subject areas, known to draw on complex bodies of knowledge to solve specific problems.Indeed, taxation is as certain as death, thus, while unwelcome as death, cannot be avoided as death. That is largely one of the reasons why the recent measure to tax 2% of all electronic money transfers announced by Reserve Bank governor John Mangudya has, like death, not been celebrated. It has been criticised in some circles, but that is only natural because people - including economists themselves - don't all see things the same way.However, what is important is to establish the validity or not of that condemnation; and the genuineness of outright condemnation so as to establish whether those doing that are merely taking sides against the government for political expediency - like those claiming to be against the removals of vendors from the streets of Harare. Or whether they are expressing their views like Franklin as both philomaths and polymaths, people of wide knowledge and learning who have mastery of the subject of taxation, not just commenting with reckless abandon over a matter they know next to nothing about. A caveat: I am neither a tax expert nor an economist, but am very much into pragmatic economics, thus, unlike playing politics that has everything to do with the political agenda of some political parties and their interest groups and very little to do with getting the economy moving. Necessary and painful measures have to be taken. It's about short-term pain for long-term gain, because there is no other way. So, all this talk about taking the government to court and the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions threatening demonstrations should be seen for the brouhaha that it is - a noisy, alarmist and over-excited response from the usual suspects in the business of being "anti" everything from the top. Of course, lawyers will make money in the mix.And, in the same vein, to get the economy moving, vendors must be removed from the streets. An uncontrolled and harmful increase in the numbers of a particular animal, insect or plant species, like the invasive water hyacinth which is choking Lake Chivero, Harare's main source of water, cannot do anyone any good. These vendors might try to re-invent themselves as having always been opposition supporters and the opposition itself might try to "steal them" as their own loyal and unwavering supporters, but the truth of the matter is that the vendors were released onto the streets by Grace Mugabe like a swarm of bees, like a plague of rats. Only last year, these vendors clashed with MDC demonstrators calling for a shutdown of Harare, didn't they?Before Grace's unlawful directive, vending in the city was manageable. After her "directive" ordering the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and Zimbabwe Republic Police not to touch the vendors, tax revenue diminished as floodgates of smuggling were opened. Vending became the problem, not the solution. One vendor said last week: "When we were still operating in the city centre, in Park Street, I could make $200 a day on a good day."You can bet that she was not selling local goods, but smuggled goods without any duty paid, which became a sink hole swallowing the economy, completely destroying jobs. They were selling brand new imported goods supplied by sophisticated smuggling networks. They had become a parallel economy, and this had to be put to a stop. So, sending vendors mixed signals, on the one hand, by giving them false hopes and empty assurances that they will not be evicted, and, on the other hand, condemning the new tax measures necessisated by, among other factors, loss of revenue due smuggling by the very same vendors, is highly irresponsible hypocrisy. As any police officer knows, killers don't always look the part. Similarly, liars don't always look the part, so it's up to the vendors themselves to listen closely and carefully to determine if they are not being lied to.Back to the tax, Oxford University-educated former Zanu-PF MP Charles Majange's observation was quite helpful as he factored in the sensitivities of those people against the move at face value: "The Ministry of Finance must find a way of distinguishing between business and non-business transfer. I don't think a tax on wedding gifts, lobola and school fees was being envisaged. The principle of tax exemption has to be maintained."Majange can separate issues without using offensive language unlike a section of vile intellectuals who spit venom at anyone who does not hate who and what they hate. This is a helpful, educated and informed problem-solving approach refocusing the tax authorities, on the one hand, and disarming the usual suspects who criticise anything and everything through selectively using their learnedness because in the real world, solutions always lie somewhere in the middle. By extension, the solution to Zimbabwe's economic problems does not lie with any one political party.Ethan Malibongwe Moyo has unpacked the tax measure thus: "I feel it's more about raising money. It's projected to raise an incremental $2,5 billion per year - that's over 60% of the current budget at no incremental cost or infrastructure as banks and mobile platforms remit."This will plug the fiscal budget, it will reduce the crowding-out effect, lower rates, lower domestic borrowing and the surplus can be used as an infrastructure stimuli."The surplus can also be used to fund exporters so as to reduce the trade deficit."It also has to be coupled with austerity measures to cut expenditure. In any case balances in the mobile platforms sit with banks somewhere, which is why there is incest between Econet and Steward Bank."Moyo - as both a philomath and a polymath - has laid it out lucidly, and this can be a starting point for refinement of the tax measure, as it should be. As one can see, Zimbabwe is not short of calm and composed intellectuals who can dissect issues without using offensive language, of which Moyo's namesake, the toxic Jonathan Moyo, is notorious for, making all his comments tainted by political partisanship right from the beginning.And tax should always be viewed through a cost-benefit analysis lens because viewing it in isolation through only the percentage stipulated or increase is meaningless. In Israel and Sweden, taxation is quite high, but so are the benefits from it. So, in those two countries, it is a necessary evil.Observed Malibongwe Moyo: "We may debate about the rate of the tax, but the principle is right on the mark as it is an effective tool to raise and broaden fiscus in an informal economy with low banking penetration rates, another advantage of financial inclusion, Uganda is on 3% and Kenya is on 10%."Indeed, in principle there is everything right and proper with taxing 2% of all electronic money transfers and the tax will stay in one form or another as happened in the past when the government announced its intention to set up the National Aids Levy and National Social Security Authority and went on to do so - despite the noisy, alarmist, and over-excited reaction from the usual suspects.Conway Nkumbuzo Tutani is a Harare-based columnist. Email: nkumbuzo@gmail.com More than 100 people filled a room in Edmonton's Boyle Street Plaza Thursday night for a vigil honouring missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls. The 13th annual event was one of many Sisters in Spirit vigils that took place across the country. "The vigil is important because it creates awareness and provides support for families whose relatives have gone missing or are murdered and are no longer with us," said co-organizer Freda Ballantyne. Families shared stories and ate bannock and stew together. Chanting and holding candles, they walked up and down 96th Street, from 103A Avenue to Okisikow (Angel) Way/101A Avenue. Madeleine Cummings/CBC The issue is a deeply personal one for Ballantyne. Shortly after she began searching for her birth mother, the Sixties Scoop survivor discovered her mother had been murdered. Ballantyne said learning what happened lit a fire in her to start providing support and comfort to other people who have lost family members to violence. It was a night of sadness, grief and anger, but not without laughter and hope. Eight-year-old drummer Noah Green provided a playful performance and teenage activist Alexa Blyan drew a lot of applause for her inspirational essay about the power of Indigenous women working to reduce violence in their communities. Madeleine Cummings/CBC "I think it's sad that it's happening, but I also think it's enlightened that we're all here coming together, healing," said Chevi Rabbit, who served as MC for the ceremony. Rabbit said she recently learned about the unsolved case of an aunt who was murdered in the 1980s. Nearly everyone in the room had a story like hers. "It's sad but it's also very empowering that's we're coming here as a group and none of these names are forgotten," Rabbit said. "I'm hoping that by us coming together, the future generations will have that sense of community, that sense of resiliency built within them." Madeleine Cummings/CBC According to Statistics Canada's 2016 Homicide Survey, Indigenous women were five times more likely to be victims of homicide than non-Indigenous women. The federal government launched a $54-million inquiry into missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls (MMIWG) two years ago. The inquiry continues in Winnipeg this week before travelling to St. John's later this month. MACAU (Reuters) - Nearly 20 years have passed since Portugal handed Macau over to China, and although colonial culture still infuses parts of daily life, the influence of the territory's Portuguese elite is declining rapidly as the special administrative region becomes increasingly closer to mainland China. Authorities say they want the world's largest gambling hub to diversify into a trade and business center for Portuguese-speaking countries including Brazil, Portugal and Angola, but there is a gaping disconnect, Portuguese residents say. Two Portuguese top legal advisers, renowned for their expertise and training of local judges and prosecutors, were abruptly dismissed in August, far ahead of retirement age. And legislation this year proposed Portuguese judges should be removed from sensitive cases altogether. "They say everywhere that Portuguese are part of Macau and are always welcome, part of the history. In fact, what they are doing is not what they are saying," said Alvaro Rodrigues, a lawyer in Macau. The removal of Paulo Taipa and Paulo Cardinal, both of whom served for more than 20 years in the government, is a bad signal, said Rodrigues, who came to Macau 28 years ago from Cape Verde, a former Portuguese colony in Africa. The head of Macau's legislature, Ho Iat Seng, who orchestrated their dismissal, said in September it was because of "restructuring." Ho has been touted as a candidate for Macau's chief executive in 2019. Ho and Macau's Legislative Assembly office did not respond to requests for comment. "Both of the jurists have for the past few years internally criticized some of the government's bills by stating, in their confidential legal opinions, that they breached the Basic Law, several of which the assembly ended up passing, said assembly member Jose Coutinho. For example, he said, a law on government salaries runs afoul of the Basic Law by discriminating against low-level civil servants. Like neighboring Hong Kong, Macau operates under China's "one country, two systems" policy. Its Basic Law is supposed to allow a high degree of autonomy and greater liberties like a free press and an independent judiciary. The legal system is broadly based on Portugal's. But influence from the Chinese mainland is squeezing it, experts said, in an accelerated version of the scenes unfolding in Hong Kong. "We can feel it. If you look to the legislation that has been passed in recent years, we understand that there is a big influence from the first system (China) on the second system (Macau)," said Pedro Cortes, a lawyer in Macau. Jorge Neto Valente, head of the Macau's Lawyers Association, said freezing out Portuguese judges violated the Basic Law and created a sort of patriotism test based on their feelings toward China. And in the business community, many worry about increasing interference - an issue that could hurt the casino industry. Casino executives say they are closely watching what official policy will be as their licenses begin to expire in 2020. CHINESE REALISM These days, the only real remaining elements of Portuguese influence are colonial architecture and its distinctive cuisine. Portuguese and Chinese are both official languages in Macau, but there are signs that Chinese is being prioritized in government. There are no longer any Portuguese judges in Macau's criminal court, and they account for around 10 percent of the city-state's 49 jurists. Courts have largely stopped providing Portuguese translations. During the trial of Sulu Sou, Macau's youngest lawmaker, and Scott Chiang on charges of aggravated disobedience their lawyers, Jorge Menezes and Pedro Leal, were denied translation of a 66-page Chinese ruling. The judge said Sou and Chiang "took the risk" of hiring Portuguese lawyers and should have considered language when making their decision. Experts said the government was increasingly hiring only Chinese for jobs as lawyers, advisers and jurists. Rita Assis Ferreira, a lawyer in Portugal and representative of PLMJ Law Firm in Macau, said this was part of a long-term government plan to promote Chinese policies after the handover. "I dont see this as bad or dramatic; it's what we agreed 20 years ago with China mainland," she said. Jose Luis de Sales Marques, Macau's mayor from 1993 to 2001, who now heads Macau's Institute of European Studies, was also more optimistic. He said the government supported the teaching of Portuguese, despite closer assimilation to the mainland's laws and administration. "We have to see that there is this formula 'One Country, Two Systems' and the real meaning of that ... is one country," he said. "This is the kind of realism that we have to have." (This story has been refiled to clarify comment from lawmaker Coutinho in paragraph 8) (Reporting by Farah Master; Editing by Gerry Doyle) MANILA (Reuters) - Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte raised questions about his health on Thursday when he said in a public address that he had gone to a hospital for tests, a day after he missed a cabinet meeting and another event. Duterte has disappeared from public view before. He was not seen for a week last year, fuelling speculation he was ill. The government insisted then the speculation was baseless. But this was the first time he seemed to confirm he might have health problems. "I don't know where I'm now physically, but I have to wait for that," Duterte told a dinner he hosted for soldiers and police officers at the presidential palace, in a speech that was televised nationally. "But, I will tell you if its cancer, it's cancer. If it's third stage, no more treatment. I will not prolong the agony in this office or anywhere." Executive Secretary Salvador Medialdea confirmed the president underwent a colonoscopy on Wednesday, a procedure the president "submits to on a yearly basis". He underwent the same test three weeks ago, but his doctors wanted to get more tissue samples, Duterte said. But presidential spokesman Harry Roque told a news briefing early Thursday Duterte got tired and took a day off, denying rumors he had been admitted to a hospital. Known for a busy schedule and long speeches, often several a day, the 73-year-old Duterte's frequent disappearances have fueled rumors he is in declining health and that the government is trying to keep that under wraps. After a trip to Israel and Jordan last month, Duterte said his skin was burned by his long exposure to desert sun when the public notice discoloration in his face. Before addressing Congress in late July, Duterte also made a routine check at a hospital and his aides were quick to say there was nothing wrong with his health. (Reporting By Manuel Mogato, editing by Larry King) When Taz the nine week old Pit Bull puppy first meets Turklet the giant turkey in the backyard of her farm, this little pup is determined to turn him into her new best friend! Watch as they get to know each other, hilariously barking and gobbling at each other in a conversation we wish we could understand. The dog sure wants to play with the bird, but Turklet doesnt want anything to do with her and so the challenge is on! The two are trying to figure each other out and both animals take on their own special approach to each other! Watch as the puppy tries to get in close for a sniff of feathers and the turkey, not too sure how to handle the little dog bouncing around him, tries to escape the puppys curiosity. They run around in what looks to be a game of tag, with the puppy definitely winning this round. Their back and forth banter is absolutely hilarious. Every time the dog barks at the turkey, Turklet gobbles right back in a hilarious tone that sends the puppy into hysterics. The turkey puffs up his feathers and stands as tall as he can, letting the puppy know that he is not interested in this friendship, and the puppy is not welcome on his territory. Taz doesnt seem to get the message though, and just tries even harder to make friends. All the Pit Bull puppy wants to do is play with the turkey, and she sure is trying hard to get him to play back, but with little success. This happy, energetic puppy is so used to making friends wherever she goes, she does not know how to handle this unfriendly reaction. The pup takes it as a challenge it seems, because she doesnt give up and keeps trying to make a friend out of the giant turkey. JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - About 320 people were injured when a packed train traveling from South Africa's business hub Johannesburg to the capital Pretoria crashed into the back of a stationary train, Metrorail authorities said on Friday. The collision, which occurred at 5:50 p.m. (1530 GMT) on Thursday during peak rush hour travel, left 32 passengers with serious but not critical injuries. "The injured commuters were taken for medical attention at various hospitals," Metrorail said in a statement. "A board of enquiry will be instituted soon to determine the root cause of the accident." In January, a similar train accident on the outskirts of Johannesburg injured 200 people. South Africa has the continent's largest railway network, but it has been plagued by mismanagement and under-investment that has seen train use dwindle despite it being the cheapest form of public transportation. In a report, the government's Rail Safety Regulator said that, in the 2016/17 financial year, 495 people lost their lives on the country's railways and 2,079 were injured. The death toll was up 5 percent from the previous year. (Reporting by Joe Brock; editing by Darren Schuettler) SEOUL (Reuters) - A Seoul court on Friday jailed former South Korean President Lee Myung-bak for 15 years for corruption, making him the latest in a string of high-profile political and business leaders ensnared by graft charges. Lee, in office from 2008 to 2013, is the fourth former South Korean president to be jailed, with his successor Park Geun-hye imprisoned for her role in a separate corruption scandal that toppled her from power in early 2017 and also led to jail time for Samsung Group heir Jay Y. Lee. Lee Myung-bak faced charges that he accepted around $10 million in illegal funds from institutions like Samsung and his own intelligence service, fuelling ongoing concerns over the cozy ties between government and business leaders. The Seoul Central District Court found Lee guilty of embezzlement of about 24.6 billion won ($21.77 million) from a private auto parts maker headed by his brother, and accepting bribes from Samsung and others, fining Lee 13 billion won in addition to the jail sentence. "Such actions from the president, the head of state and the leader of the executive branch, can be severely condemned as it does not stop at violating the fairness and integrity of the presidential office but undermines trust in the entire public office," judge Chung Kye-sun said. Lee, 76, has denied any wrongdoing, saying the investigation that led to the trial was politically motivated "revenge" by current President Moon Jae-in, who came to office vowing to clean house after the Park scandal and who has previously criticized Lee over an investigation into another former president, Roh Moo-hyun. Moon served as Rohs chief of staff, and the two liberal leaders had a close relationship before Roh committed suicide in 2009 after being questioned on corruption allegations during Lees presidency. Lee was not in attendance at the verdict, which was televised live. Prosecutors had sought a 20-year sentence for Lee. ($1 = 1,130.1900 won) (Reporting by Joyce Lee; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Michael Perry) HANOI (Reuters) - Vietnamese authorities have seized more than eight metric tonnes of pangolin scales and ivory in one of the Southeast Asian country's largest wildlife trafficking cases for years, the government said on Friday. Trade in ivory and pangolin is illegal in Vietnam, but wildlife trafficking remains widespread. Police found more than two tonnes of ivory and six tonnes of pangolin scales hidden in a plastic waste container at Tien Sa port in the central Vietnamese city of Danang on Thursday, the government said in a statement. The container, owned by Vietnam's Thien Truong Su Co., originated from Nigeria, according to the statement. Calls to Nguyen Xuan Su, the company's general director, went unanswered on Friday. The raid came days after authorities at Noi Bai International Airport in Hanoi said they seized nearly a ton of ivory and pangolin scales hidden in cargo boxes, also sent from Nigeria. Nguyen Van Thai, director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife said pangolin trafficking has been on the rise over recent years. "Most of pangolin scales seized in Vietnam originate from Africa and are bound for China, which is the bigger market" Thai told Reuters, adding that part of the shipments were for the Vietnamese market. Thai said some Vietnamese people believe that consuming ground pangolin scales is good for their health, particularly for issues with the liver, bones, and for mothers to produce milk for newborn babies. (Reporting by Khanh Vu; Editing by James Pearson and Michael Perry) By Karolina Tagaris ATHENS (Reuters) - Women in Greek migrant camps are too scared to leave their tents at night or use communal showers, and many pregnant women have to sleep on the floor in unsanitary conditions, Amnesty International said on Friday. More than half of refugees and migrants arriving in Greece are women and children, according to the United Nations refugee agency, UNHCR. The numbers are small compared to those at the height of Europe's migrant crisis in 2015. But slow and lengthy asylum procedures mean thousands of asylum-seekers are holed up in crowded facilities on a few Greek islands. There, everyday activities like taking a shower have become dangerous for women and girls, Amnesty said in a report. Lack of sanitation and clean drinking water, as well as streams of raw sewage and mice infestations, are common in all camps, it said. "[The] shower in the camp is cold and there is no lock. Men walk in when you are inside. There are no lights in the toilets," Amnesty quoted one woman from the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose name was changed to Adele, as saying. "At night, sometimes I go to the toilet with my sister or pee in a bucket," said Adele, who arrived on the island of Samos in December. Pregnant asylum-seekers told Amnesty they had to sleep on the floor and had little, if any, access to antenatal care. Other women spent their limited cash on sanitary pads. "Everything is dirty here. It's impossible to keep clean and when we have our period, it is very difficult," Adele said. "This is not the Europe that the world imagines," Amnesty Secretary-General Kumi Naidoo told Reuters on Friday, after visiting Greece's biggest migrant camp on the island of Lesbos. "The conditions are appalling. This is a wake-up call that we need to push very hard for the suspension and cancellation of the EU-Turkey deal," he said, referring to a 2016 accord to stem refugee flows to Greece that has stranded thousands of people in the country. Some of Greece's island camps have grown so congested that they operate at more than double their capacity, according to the latest government figures. To ease overcrowding, authorities have begun moving hundreds to facilities on the mainland. Amnesty said women there said they felt "abandoned". "We feel totally forgotten. Some of us have been in the camp for two years and nothing is changing. We don't know what will happen to us," said one Yazidi woman from Iraq, staying in the Skaramagas camp near Athens. Humanitarian organizations working in the camp had reported that smugglers and people bearing weapons had been in the facility, Amnesty said. (Editing by Richard Balmforth) THURSDAY, Oct. 4, 2018 (HealthDay News) -- Vitamin D supplements have long been touted as a way to improve bone health and possibly ward off the bone-thinning disease osteoporosis in older adults. But a new study contends that claims of benefits from supplements of the "sunshine vitamin" fall flat. A review of previously published studies found that taking either high or low doses of vitamin D supplements didn't prevent fractures or falls, or improve bone density. Vitamin D is found in very few foods. One of the biggest sources of the vitamin is exposure to sunlight. "Vitamin D supplement use is common, particularly in North America," where up to 40 percent of older people take them, said lead researcher Dr. Alison Avenell. She is clinical chair in health services research at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland. "Most adults don't need to take vitamin D supplements, although they are unlikely to do harm if taken in low doses," she added. Vitamin D supplements do prevent rare conditions, such as rickets in children and osteomalacia (softening of bones) in adults. People at risk of vitamin D deficiency include those with little or no sun exposure, such as nursing home residents who are indoors all the time, or those who always cover their skin when outside, Avenell said. There's also existing evidence that vitamin D helps prevent cancer or heart disease, she added. "Preserving bone strength involves keeping active, not smoking, not being too thin, and taking medications for osteoporosis," Avenell said. Based on the new findings, Avenell thinks guidelines that recommend vitamin D supplements for bone health should be changed. For the new report, Avenell and her colleagues reviewed 81 studies, most of which dealt with vitamin D alone, not in combination with the mineral calcium. "Calcium supplements on their own have minimal effect on bone mineral density and fracture, and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease," Avenell said. The only evidence that calcium and vitamin D together prevent fractures comes from a trial of older people with very low vitamin D levels in nursing homes. But calcium and vitamin D may also increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, Avenell said. In addition, most of the studies covered in the new review included women aged 65 and older who took more than 800 IUs (international units) of vitamin D daily. The new study found no meaningful effect of vitamin D supplementation when it came to reducing any fracture, hip fractures or falls. This type of study, called a meta-analysis, tries to find common elements among previously published studies. This kind or research, however, is limited by differences in the methods and conclusions of the different studies analyzed by researchers, so the findings may not be consistent across the board. A group that represents the supplement industry took issue with the findings. "There is evidence that vitamin D is very helpful, especially when you have low levels," said Duffy MacKay, senior vice president for scientific and regulatory affairs at the Council for Responsible Nutrition. Over 94 percent of the U.S. population has vitamin D levels that are too low, he said. "Most Americans do not get enough vitamin D to meet their needs and supplements can fill that gap, but if your vitamin D levels are sufficient you don't need to supplement." The benefit of proper vitamin D levels are seen over a lifetime and can't be judged in short-term studies that look at any specific benefit, he added. Dr. Minisha Sood, an endocrinologist at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City, said this new study should convince doctors that vitamin D supplements don't have a role in maintaining healthy bones, but they do have other benefits. Previous research suggests that vitamin D, when taken in tandem with calcium, may help prevent certain cancers and protect against age-related declines in thinking and memory. "What is important to keep in mind is that those with low vitamin D were not represented in this meta-analysis, and vitamin D supplementation -- repletion, actually -- is still necessary for those with low vitamin D levels, regardless of age," Sood said. The findings were published online Oct. 4 in The Lancet Diabetes and Endocrinology. More information For more on vitamin D, visit the U.S. National Institutes of Health. JavaScript is disabled on your browser. CORDIS website requires JavaScript enabled in order to work properly. Please enable JavaScript. National Dolphin Research Centre (NDRC) will be set up on the banks of the Ganga river in Patna University campus in Patna, capital of Bihar. It will Indias and Asias first Dolphin research centre. The announcement for the centre was made on the occasion of Dolphin day (October 5), observed in Bihar for protection and conservation of Gangetic river dolphin to create awareness to save endangered species. NDRC will play important role in strengthening conservation efforts and research to save endangered mammal whose population is decreasing. Bihar is home to around half of the countrys estimated 3,000 dolphin population. Gangetic river dolphin Gangetic river dolphin (scientific name: Platanista gangetica) is one of the four freshwater dolphin species in the world. The other three are found in Yangtze river, Indus river in Pakistan and Amazon river. Gangetic river dolphin species are found in India, Bangladesh and Nepal. Gangetic river dolphin is Indias national aquatic animal. It is almost completely blind and finds its way and prey using ultrasonic echoes, with sound being everything for them to navigate, feed, escape danger, find mates, breed, nurse babies and play. Gangetic Dolphins presence signals healthy river ecosystem. Dolphins prefer water that is at least 5-8 feet deep and are usually found in turbulent waters where there is enough fish for them to feed on. They prefer deep water with adjoining shallow water and live in zone where there is little or no current that helps them save energy. Threats: Entanglement in fishing nets, hunting for their oil and meat, poisoning of water supply of river from industrial and agricultural chemicals. They are facing most significant threat from building of dams along the upper course of their habitable rivers. It causing the segregation of populations and has a narrowed gene pool in which dolphins can breed. Protection Status: Gangetic river dolphins fall under Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act and have been declared an endangered species by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Conservation Program: Environment Ministry had launched Ganges River Dolphin Conservation Programme in 1997 to build scientific database of their population status and also study their habitat quality of the dolphins distribution range. Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary located in Bihars Bhagalpur district of Bihar is Indias only dolphin sanctuary is spread over 50 km along the Ganges A visibly furious Theresa May rounded on EU leaders for hanging her our to dry yesterday as she battled to keep her Chequers Brexit plan alive in the face of fierce Tory criticism.At an extraordinary press conference in Salzburg, Mrs May said she still believed a deal was possible, and offered a fresh concession on Northern Ireland but acknowledged there was 'a lot of hard work to be done'.It came after Brussels issued a calculated snub to her Chequers plan, saying it was a non-starter.EU chief Donald Tusk said the other 27 leaders 'all agreed' that the complex plans at the heart of the Chequers deal 'will not work'. It forced Mrs May to declare she was closer than ever to walking away without a deal.The Prime Minister acknowledged she had had a 'frank' meeting with Mr Tusk shortly before she faced the press diplomatic code for a blazing row.In a warning to EU leaders that she cannot be pushed much further, she added: 'Let nobody be in any doubt we are preparing for "no deal" so that if we get to a position where it is not possible to do a deal then the British people can have confidence that we will have done what is necessary to ensure we make a success of leaving the European Union regardless of the terms on which we do so.'Former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith accused the EU of 'bullying' Britain.'This demonstrates that the EU are behaving like bullies, throwing their weight around and using the Irish border as an excuse,' he said. 'This will demonstrate to so many people why we need to leave. Mrs May should go for free trade, and call their bluff.'The Prime Minister also angrily rejected calls for a second referendum, after the prime ministers of Malta and the Czech Republic publicly backed the idea. She said: 'There will be no second referendum.'Mrs May had travelled to the EU summit in Austria hoping for warm words from fellow leaders to give her political cover for the Chequers plan, which is set to be savaged by critics like Boris Johnson at next month's Tory conference.But despite a personal plea from her over dinner, the EU leaders issued a humiliating rebuff designed to hand fresh ammunition to her critics.Mrs May suggested that rejection of Chequers was a negotiating 'tactic' designed to wring further concessions from her. Privately, aides said they had expected a similar 'stunt' at some point in the negotiations, but had not anticipated EU leaders deserting her in her hour of need.Mr Tusk, who came under pressure from Emmanuel Macron and Angela Merkel to adopt a tough stance, said the two sides now faced a 'moment of truth' next month, which would decide whether a Brexit deal was possible or not.He also cast doubt on whether a special Brexit summit pencilled in for November would take place at all unless Britain changes course.The diplomatic ambush led to recriminations last night against Mrs May's advisers, who had briefed that she was poised for a breakthrough.Mr Duncan Smith said: 'I don't know what the civil service were up to when they told her the EU would accept the Chequers deal. It's clearly not going to fly and Ollie Robbins [Mrs May's chief Brexit adviser] should take the blame for that.'Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orban said EU leaders were split between those who want a pragmatic Brexit deal and those who want one that 'punishes' the UK.He said some leaders believed 'Britain must suffer', adding: 'I don't like that approach at all. What we need is a fair Brexit and good cooperation between the UK and EU in future.' Asked if more people were coming round to his camp, he said he was 'getting a majority'.But hours later, President Macron, Chancellor Merkel and the EU's chief negotiator Michel Barnier persuaded the bloc to toughen its stance.Mr Macron made it clear he wanted to punish Britain to dissuade other member states from heading for the EU's exit door. The French President branded pro-Brexit politicians as 'liars' adding: 'Brexit shows that it is not easy to leave the EU. It is not without costs. It is not without consequences.'Mrs May insisted Chequers was 'the only proposal' that would deliver frictionless trade with the EU and keep the UK's pledge to avoid a hard border in Northern Ireland.Theresa May's EU adviser last night faced questions about his role in the Salzburg summit after he assured the Prime Minister that her Chequers plan would be a success.Amid shock and anger over the rejection of her deal by the EU yesterday, Olly Robbins's name was repeatedly mentioned. The senior civil servant, who Mrs May appointed as her personal Brexit adviser last year, helped draw up the Chequers strategy, which is threatening to split her party.Earlier this month he assured the PM that EU leaders thought her Brexit plan was a 'game changer'. He indicated that his attempts to sell the proposals to the remaining EU 27 member states had been a success.The wholesale rejection of the Chequers blueprint yesterday just over a week before the Tory party conference will make the PM's job even more difficult.As a furious Mrs May returned to London, pressure was mounting on the man she trusted to be her 'eyes and ears' in Brussels.Mr Robbins, 43, joined her team a year ago as part of a move by Number 10 to exert more control over the Brexit negotiations.He repeatedly clashed with then Brexit secretary David Davis, and was said to have suggested that he should be the opposite number to Michel Barnier, the EU's chief negotiator. Earlier this month, Mr Robbins refused to say whether he believed leaving the EU would be a 'good thing'.A Europhile since his days at Oxford University, he became private secretary to Tony Blair aged just 31. He was steadily promoted before becoming an adviser to Mrs May and taking the helm of the Brexit negotiations. This summer, it emerged that Mrs May's right-hand man was paid a bonus of up to 20,000 despite the chaos surrounding the Brexit strategy.The PM personally signed off on the money, which comes on top of Mr Robbins's bumper pay packet of up to 165,000 a year.But his performance in selling the Chequers deal to the EU will raise questions about his future.She said EU leaders were wrong to believe that her controversial plan for a 'common rule book' on goods would undermine the single market a point made specifically by Mr Tusk yesterday. 'Yes concerns have been raised,' she said. 'I want to know what those concerns are. There is a lot of hard work to be done. But I believe that there is a willingness to do a deal.'The hardline approach from Brussels prompted an angry reaction in the UK. Former Tory chairman Grant Shapps said the PM was right to stick to her pledge to leave without a deal if Brussels continued to act unreasonably.Mr Shapps said: 'I'm no Brexiteer in fact I voted Remain but we may fast be approaching a situation where our handling over 39billion [in 'divorce' payments] won't work for us either.' Fellow Remainer Tory MP Anna Soubry said it was clear the Chequers deal was 'bereft of life' and urged the PM to pursue membership of the EU single market after Brexit.Meanwhile, Eurosceptic MPs stepped up their vows to kill off the Chequers deal at the Conservative conference. Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tory MPs, said: 'Everyone expected there would be some softening of Mr Barnier's line. That hasn't happened, it has been made firmer. I think Chequers now has no supporters at all. I doubt even the Downing Street cat is any longer backing the Chequers plan. I think the time has come for Mrs May to say, "This is not going to work".'Former Brexit Secretary David Davis last night claimed more than 40 Tory Brexiteer MPs are ready to vote against Chequers. He said rebels have a 'solid core' of around three times the number needed to defeat the plan in Parliament.Emmanuel Macron branded the leaders of the pro-Brexit campaign 'liars' for telling voters it would be easy to leave the EU.The French president said the decision was 'not without costs' and 'not without consequences'.'Brexit is the choice of the British people and it is a choice pushed by certain people who predicted easy solutions,' he said in Salzburg.'Brexit has shown us one thing and I fully respect British sovereignty in saying this it has demonstrated that those who said you can easily do without Europe, that it will all go very well, that it is easy and there will be lots of money, are liars.'This is all the more true because they left the next day, so they didn't have to manage it.' Mr Macron said it was true that Brexit negotiations had been complex and lengthy.But he added: 'That fact must not be exploited by those very people who are the cause of this problem, who got us into the Brexit situation and who now tell us that Europe is going from crisis to crisis.'His claim the leaders of the Brexit campaign 'left the next day' after the vote appeared to confuse them with David Cameron, who quit as PM after calling on voters to back Remain. By contrast, Brexit supporters David Davis, Boris Johnson and Liam Fox were brought into the Cabinet.Theresa May is facing a bruising and potentially nightmarish end to 2018.After the EU yesterday all but killed off her post-Brexit Chequers plan, she flew home last night to lick her wounds and work out how to navigate the choppy months ahead.The Tory conferenceThe first of the Prime Minister's challenges is the Tory party conference which starts on Sunday September 30 in Birmingham.Former foreign secretary and arch Brexiteer Boris Johnson is planning a pro-Brexit rally for hundreds of the party's grassroots activists. The event, hosted by the ConservativeHome website, will see further scorn poured on Mrs May's Chequers plan.Its aim will be to put more pressure on her to 'chuck Chequers'. The event is the night before her keynote party conference speech.Former UKIP leader Nigel Farage is planning a nationwide tour of 'Leave Means Leave' rallies to hammer home the anti-Chequers message.It starts in Bolton this Sunday and he will lead a Save Brexit rally on September 30 at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham where he will be joined by Tory MPs Peter Bone and Andrea Jenkyns.Mrs May will have painful memories of her disastrous speech to the conference last year wrecked by a coughing fit and a collapsing stage set.Return of Parliament and leadership plottingParliament returns from recess on October 9, having stopped sitting for the conference season. This will be the first time when MPs outraged at Mrs May's insistence on sticking with her Chequers plan will have a chance to voice their opinions.Many Eurosceptics will delight in telling Mrs May 'I told you so' when she reports back on the Salzburg summit. It would also provide the first opportunity for a potential leadership challenge.A handful of members of the pro-Brexit European Research Group of Tory MPs, led by Jacob Rees-Mogg, have been threatening to overthrow the Prime Minister for weeks. Last night former Brexit secretary David Davis claimed he had 40 MPs signed up to vote against Chequers.More awkward dates with EU leadersEU president Donald Tusk has warned that the next EU summit on October 18 is the moment Brexit talks could collapse if Britain does not make more concessions on Chequers and the Irish border.This would lead to him abandoning a further special summit that is due to be held on November 15.Mrs May yesterday said she was willing to walk away without a deal. But it is unclear what her position would then be after she has spent months failing to sell her Chequers plan to MPs and the EU.If she manages to get past the October summit with the basis of an agreement with the EU, she then faces the emergency summit, at which both sides have said they will aim to finalise matters. Any 11th-hour complications could turn this summit into a nightmare.But will any deal get MPs' backing?Mrs May's biggest challenge could be getting any Brexit 'divorce' deal past MPs. Labour has said it will vote against any deal she reaches.This, combined with Brexiteers angry about her not seeking their preferred Canada-style free trade deal, could mean she does not have the numbers to get it passed.Both the UK and EU have agreed that a deal should be done by no later than November so there is enough time to get it signed off by their respective parliaments in time for March 29, 2019, when Britain will leave the EU.Brexiteers and Remainers declared Theresa May's Chequers plan dead after it was brutally savaged by the EU at a crucial summit.The Prime Minister made a plea to European leaders to compromise as she desperately tries to get a deal agreed with less than two months to go in negotiations.But leaders across the EU lined up to savage her plans in a series of scathing press conferences at the Salzburg summit.EU council chief Donald Tusk insisted her Chequers proposal 'will not work' while German Chancellor Angela Merkel said 'substantial progress' is still needed.May's allies within the Conservatives have even moved to distance themselves from the Chequers plan.Former minister Sir Mike Penning, who helped to orchestrate her 2016 leadership campaign, said her proposals were 'as dead as a dodo' and that she was 'deluded' if she thought she could persuade Tory Eurosceptics to vote in favour of any Brexit deal based on Chequers.A visibly shaken Mrs May appeared tetchy as she faced the world's cameras at a press conference to defend her embattled plans.She bluntly dismissed the EU commission's latest proposals for resolving the Northern Ireland border issue, saying they would break up the UK.'The backstop cannot divide the UK into two customs territories,' she told a press conference at the close of the summit.And she insisted that Chequers remains the only viable and serious proposal on the table.But after the unexpected onslaught of criticism from EU leaders she conceded that there is 'a lot of work to be done' over the next few weeks.And she said that Britain is pumping resources into preparing for a no deal Brexit if Britain crashes out of the bloc.Leaders from across the EU savaged Theresa May's Chequers Brexit plan at the Salzburg summit.Here is what they said:Donald Tusk, EU Council President:'Everybody shared the view that while there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal, the suggested framework for economic cooperation will not work, not least as it risks undermining the single market.'Emmanuel Macron, French President:'It was a good and brave step by the prime minister,' he said of her trade plan. 'But we all agreed on this today, the proposals in their current state are not acceptable.'The Chequers plan cannot be 'take it or leave it'.'Angela Merkel, German Chancellor:'We need substantial progress on Brexit by October.'Jean-Claude Juncker, EU Commission President:'No deal is not my working assumption, but would it happen, then we are prepared because the Commission has prepared in detail all the elements of consequences of a no-deal.''So don't worry. Be happy, don't worry.'Mark Rutte, Dutch PM:'I do not feel more confident, but also at the same time not less optimistic.'Leo Varadkar, Irish PM:'Time is running short. There's proposals for another summit in October and then in November.'Ireland is a country that obviously wants to avoid a no deal scenario, we want to avoid a no deal Brexit, (but) we are preparing for that, we are hiring extra staff and officials, putting in IT systems, we're ready for that eventuality should it occur.'Charles Michel, Belgian PM'Today I can see that it is necessary to make all the steps because the proposals are not enough in order to have an agreement.'As the pressure on Mrs May increases, Nicola Sturgeon has called for all British political parties to back an extension to the Article 50 process - meaning Brexit could be delayed.She told the BBC: 'Taking the UK off the Brexit cliff edge without knowing where it lands would be the most irresponsible thing any prime minister has done in a very, very long time.'That's why I think if that's the situation we end up in (then) extending Article 50 is a far better way of proceeding.'The bruising clashes came as the bloc's leaders warned a Brexit deal is still 'far away' - and urged the UK to hold another referendum.Ramping up the pressure, Dutch PM Mark Rutte jibed that his country had made more preparations for a no-deal outcome than Britain.French President Emmanuel Macron, whose stance on Brexit has been among the toughest, took a swipe at 'liars' who said the UK could 'live easily without Europe'.Angela Merkel said 'substantial progress' must be made by October for there to be any chance of getting an agreement.The unexpected ferocity of the language from the EU appeared to take Mrs May aback, as she looked tetchy and slightly shaken answering questions from journalists.Downing Street had been hoping fellow leaders would give her a soft ride to avoid fueling a mounting mutiny by Tory Eurosceptics ahead of the looming party conference in Birmingham in a week's time.Over dinner with her 27 counterparts last night, Mrs May ruled out any delay to Britain's departure from the EU in March insisting there were no circumstances in which she would consider another national vote on the issue.But her fellow leaders - who received the speech in stony silence as they have vowed not to discuss Brexit directly with the UK - were unimpressed.At a press conference closing the gathering this afternoon, Mr Tusk said: 'Everybody shared the view that while there are positive elements in the Chequers proposal, the suggested framework for economic cooperation will not work, not least as it risks undermining the single market.'Mr Macron took a clear swipe at Mrs May's proposals to align with EU rules on goods but not services, saying he would not accept so-called 'cherry-picking' that eroded the EU single market.'Those who explain that we can easily live without Europe, that everything is going to be alright, and that it's going to bring a lot of money home are liars,' he said.Other leaders said the talks were at a 'standstill', and called for the UK to hold another public vote to reverse Brexit altogether.Mr Rutte suggested little had changed over the two days in Salzburg.'I do not feel more confident, but also at the same time not less optimistic.'He added: 'I think we have made more preparations for a no deal than the UK has.'Mrs May greeted Mr Juncker warmly at the summit but the negotiations are deadlockedEU council president Donald Tusk took to Instagram to joke about the standoff, posting a picture of himself choosing cakes with Mrs May and the message: 'Sorry, no cherries.'Tory MPs rounded on Theresa May's Chequers Brexit plan after the EU's damning verdict - with Remain-voting Grant Shapps calling for the divorce bill to be withheldArch Remainer and Conservative MP Anna Soubry also declared the Brexit proposal deadTory MP Marcus Fysh urged the PM to accept that her Chequers plan is unworkable and to move on to a new proposalMrs Merkel told her own press conference in Salzburg that 'substantial progress' was needed on the UK's withdrawal agreement by the next European Council meeting in October, in order to pave the way for it to be finalised at a special summit in November.She warned there was 'still a large piece of work' on the separate issue of future trade relations with the UK.The EU27 were 'united that, in the matter of the single market, there can be no compromises', she said.'No-one can belong to the single market if they are not part of the single market.'Mr Tusk mocked Mrs May on social media, posting a picture of them choosing cake at the summit with the message: 'Sorry, no cherries.'It was a swipe at EU claims that Britain is trying to 'cherry pick' from the Brussels project.Asked at her press conference how she can cling on to her Chequers plan in the face of so much opposition, Mrs May said: 'Yes concerns have been raised, I want to know what those concerns are. There is a lot of hard work to be done.'But I believe that there is a willingness to do a deal.'But let nobody be in any doubt, as I've always said, we are preparing for no deal so that if we get to a position where it is not possible to do a deal then the British people can be confident that we will have done what is necessary to ensure we make a success of leaving the European Union regardless of the terms on which we do so.'Mrs May said that the UK would 'shortly' be coming forward with new proposals on the 'backstop' arrangements for the Northern Irish border.This is the major stumbling block to agreeing a deal with the bloc.She again categorically ruled out holding a second referendum.'There will be no second referendum. There has been a vote of the people, it took place in June 2016 and people voted to leave the European Union,' she said.Meanwhile, Mrs May is facing a growing revolt at home with Tory plotters branding her 'deluded' and calling Chequers 'as dead as a dodo'.Mrs May held talks with Irish PM Leo Varadkar this morning, and was seen deep in conversation with Mrs Merkel as they arrived at the summit venue this morning.But after a discussion on security, she will again be shut out of proceedings as the 27 remaining member states hold a private discussion on Brexit.Arriving this morning, EU Commission president Jean-Claude Juncker said the two sides remained 'far away' from a deal.Slovak PM Peter Pellegrini said: 'There has been no progress' and Lithuanian president Dalia Grybauskaite said simply: 'It's a standstill'.Malta's PM Joseph Muscat said there was 'almost unanimous' support among EU leaders for Britain to hold a second referendum on membership of the union.Mr Muscat said that any deal would be 'sub-optimal' to continued membership, saying 'it won't be as easy as yesterday to trade between the two sides'.Speaking to BBC Radio 4's Today programme he said: 'There is a unanimous, or almost unanimous I would say right now, point of view around the table that we would like the almost impossible to happen, that the UK has another referendum.'I wouldn't know what the result would be, whether it would be any different from the first result.'I think most of us would welcome a situation where there is the possibility of the British people putting things into perspective, seeing what has been negotiated, seeing the options and then deciding once and for all.'But Mrs May did get backing from controversial Hungarian PM Viktor Orban, who complained that some of his fellow leaders wanted the British to 'suffer' because they voted to leave.'I don't like that approach at all. So what we need is a fair Brexit and a good cooperation between the UK and the European Union in the future,' he said.Tory conspirators believe the Prime Minister could be forced to stand down after Brexit according to a memo circulating among MPs last night.The document also assesses who Mrs May's likely successor will be and rates their chances.The document is based on the assumption that the 1922 Committee of senior backbench Tories will 'invite the PM to stand-down soon(ish) after March 2019'.It advises MPs to 'manoeuvre immediately' and sets out details of 27 potential candidates, according to the Daily Telegraph. It describes Environment Secretary Michael Gove as being 'on manoeuvres', says Chancellor Philip Hammond is 'thinking he has a chance' but has 'not a hope', while Trade Secretary Liam Fox's prospects are 'fading'.Boris Johnson is described as 'the front runner' but is considered an unlikely successor because 'the front runner never wins'. Jacob Rees-Mogg, chairman of the European Research Group of Eurosceptic Tories, was not on the leaked list.There is a deep rift in the party over her Chequers deal - with Brexiteers and Remainers both unhappy with it.An ally of Mrs May said her Chequers plan was as 'dead as a dodo' and claimed the Prime Minister tried to 'blackmail' her MPs to support it.Sir Mike Penning told the Daily Telegraph that Mrs May was 'deluded' if she thought she could persuade Tory Eurosceptics to back a Brexit deal based on Chequers.The former minister said she was playing 'Russian Roulette' with the country and had treated her own MPs 'like children on the naughty step'.In recent weeks, senior figures in Brussels have floated the idea of extending the Article 50 process for up to a year to allow the talks to drift on as the Irish border issue caused deadlock.With Labour and several Tory MPs wobbling on the issue, some harbour hopes that ministers could even agree to hold a second referendum.Treasury minister Mel Stride went off message yesterday when he warned Eurosceptics that they could 'end up in the situation where we could have a second referendum' if they vote down the Chequers deal in Parliament.But speaking directly to EU leaders at a special summit in Salzburg last night, Mrs May said delaying Brexit was 'not an option'.Over a dinner of wiener schnitzel and Austrian wines at Felsenreitschule, the theatre where The Sound of Music was filmed, she said: 'We all recognise that time is short, but delaying or extending these negotiations is not an option.'I know for many of you, Brexit is not something you want, but it is important to be clear there will be no second referendum in the UK.'The public has delivered its verdict and I as Prime Minister will deliver on that. The UK will leave on March 29 next year. I have put forward serious and workable proposals.'We will not, of course, agree on every detail, but the onus is now on all of us to get this deal done.'Theresa May held talks with Irish PM Leo Varadkar (pictured) before the summit entered its second day in Salburg this morningOver dinner last night (pictured), gathered EU leaders were told that Britain would be prepared to walk away from the negotiating table if a deal was not struck quicklyThe male premiers appeared to be enjoying themselves as they prepared for the group photo. Pictured front row left to right, Mr Macron, Austria's Sebatian Kurz, Mr Tusk; back row left to right, Mr Rutte, Luzembourg PM Xavier Bettel, Latvian PM Maris KucinskisLarge-scale protests were undertaken near the venue in opposition to the Austrian government's controversial migration policiesArriving at the summit yesterday, Mrs May said she remained 'confident' of a good deal but warned that the EU would have to 'evolve' its position and move closer to her Chequers proposals, which have been greeted with scepticism in Brussels.Mr Tusk described elements of the Chequers proposals as a 'positive evolution in the UK approach', particularly on security co-operation.But he said key differences remained, adding: 'On other issues such as the Irish question or the framework of economic co-operation the UK proposals will need to be reworked and further negotiated. Today there is perhaps more hope but there is surely less and less time.'The commission is hostile to the proposal for a 'common rule book' with the UK on goods and the idea of the UK collecting tariffs for the EU, but some EU leaders made it clear they were desperate to avoid a no-deal Brexit.Austrian chancellor Sebastian Kurz, who holds the EU's revolving presidency, said: 'We are convinced that we need a deal. We must do everything to avoid a hard Brexit.'It would not just harm British, but would also cause damage for us in Europe. We are striving to make a compromise possible.'Luxembourg prime minister Xavier Bettel said: 'We need to find a deal, a no-deal is a really bad solution. It's a terrible solution for the UK and a bad solution for Europe. So we need to find a deal.'The Chequers proposals led to the Cabinet resignations of Mr Johnson and David Davis.Meanwhile, Michel Barnier reiterated his demand for Northern Ireland to stay within the EU's customs jurisdiction after Brexit - something the UK has repeatedly ruled out.The DUP, which is propping the Tories up in power, dismissed the Eurocrat's promise to 'improve' his Irish border solution by using technology to reduce the need for checks.Mr Barnier renewed his efforts to 'de-dramatise' the Irish border issue yesterday by saying he was working on a new draft of his blueprint.Eurocrats have been sounding a more optimistic tone about the way checks can be enforced over recent weeks, including admitting that technology and 'trusted trader' schemes can largely do away with the need for physical infrastructure.The EU official suggested officials could inspect goods entering the UK via Ireland on ferries and in business premises away from the border.He said: 'We are ready to improve this proposal. Work on the EU side is ongoing. We are clarifying which goods arriving in Northern Ireland from the rest of the UK would need to be checked and where, when and by whom these checks could be performed'. Leading Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg last night called an African country 'the people's republic of jam jar or something' at a packed meeting of the Tory Party conference.The Conservative MP was referring to the Great Socialist People's Libyan Arab Jamahiriya, which was the name of Libya under its late leader Colonel Gaddafi.He was warning against the perils of a second Brexit referendum - dubbed a 'people's vote - and said anything with the title people's in it has the whiff of totalitarianism.He said: 'All the countries who are least interested in their people call themselves "people's", don't they?'So the People's Republic of China? Oh, that's communist.'And the People's Republic ofjam jar, or something like that, of Libya, was what it was called when Colonel Gaddafi was in charge.'He made the remark while addressing a packed-out fringe meting hosted by Brexit Central at the conference in Birmingham last night.Around 500 party activists flooded into the hall to listen to Mr Rees-Mogg and several other Tory MPs rail against Theresa May'a Brexit Chequers plan.But Mr Rees-Mogg has been criticised for making the remark at the meeting - with Labour MPs accusing him of insensitivity.Alex Sobel, a Labour MP and Remain activist with the Best for Britain group, took aim at the MP for North East Somerset.Philip Hammond risked fuelling Tory splits today by warning the UK economy is already suffering due to Brexit - and things will get worse if there is no deal with the EU.The Chancellor said Britain had taken a 'hit' from the uncertainty since 2016 and suggested some businesses would leave if negotiations with Brussels failed.He also jibed that many critics of Theresa May's Chequers blueprint for future relations did not 'understand' the proposals.But he insisted the government would not break its red lines in the talks - saying the UK had the 'fiscal capacity' to survive crashing out of the EU.The comments came after Mr Hammond used an interview with the Daily Mail to launch a furious volley at Boris Johnson.He said the Brexiteer was incapable of 'grown-up' politics and did not have a clue how his own proposal for a future relationship with the EU would work.He said: 'This not only shows the same sort of casual racism Boris Johnson has displayed but also a disdain for the rest of the world which would leave us isolated and economically eviscerated if he is allowed his hard Brexit.'Labour's shadow business minister Chi Onwurah tweeted a link to the MP's remarks with the sarcastic comment: 'It's their respect for other countries and attention to detail which will be such an asset for the hard Brexiteers as they negotiate trade deals post Brexit.'Lib Dem frontbencher Christine Jardine told The Daily Mirror: 'This sort of remark is becoming too common from the Brexiteers, coming as it does in the wake of Boris's recent burka jibes.'Insulting other people is not the way I want my country represented and the public see it for what it is, petty politics.'Last night's Brexit Central saw Tory MPs line up to condemn the PM's plans and demand that she ditch them and strike a looser free trade deal with the bloc instead.Mr Rees-Mogg branded Chequers a 'dying duck' and demanded an upbeat 'supercalifragilisticexpialidocious' Brexit instead.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'.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.' I am a retired newspaperman. I live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 44 years, Lou Ann. I grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather. Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com Employees work at the assembly plant of a foreign direct investment car factory in Hai Duong, Vietnam. Photo by Reuters/Kham Vietnam will get selective with new FDI projects, rejecting those that dont benefit the country, a senior official says. Minister of Planning and Investment Nguyen Chi Dung said even though FDI projects have made remarkable contributions to the Vietnamese economy, there were several drawbacks to be dealt with. Many FDI projects focus on assembling, resulting in a low localization rate in some industries, Dung told VnExpress on the sidelines of the 30 Years of FDI Mobilization conference held in Hanoi Thursday. "They have not transferred the technology to Vietnam, and there is only a small number of them using high technology that creates high added value." Another problem is that a lot of pledged investments are not disbursed, Dung said, adding that as of last year, only 55.5 percent of the registered capital had been disbursed. This means that almost half of the FDI projects have not or could not be completed. Furthermore, some FDI businesses do not strictly abide by the laws on protecting the environment, causing serious pollution, which has had major negative impacts on peoples lives and the stable development of Vietnam, he said. There were also FDI businesses that were dishonest and evaded tax, the minister added. Sharing economy model Dung said Vietnam should change its FDI strategy. Instead of only focusing on traditional investment, the country should encourage non-traditional business models like the sharing economy'." Vietnam should grab new technologies brought in by Industry 4.0, as well as new investment methods and new forms of business, he noted. We will not take in low-tech projects which are not environmental-friendly, he said. In order to make this change effective, Dung said Vietnam needs to complete its legal framework and policies to attract those businesses, and at the same time help local firms grow. The country is developing policies that support local small and medium businesses to meet global standards so that they can partner with FDI businesses, he added. Vietnam has made substantial changes in restructuring the economy and reforming growth models in recent years. Equitization of and divestment from state-owned enterprises have been accelerated, while the domestic private sector was growing at a rapid pace. These factors make Vietnam a long-term destination for foreign investors to expand their businesses, the minister stressed. Speaking at a conference on 30 years of FDI mobilization on Thursday, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc said that by leveraging the current market and distribution channels that the FDI firms have, domestic investors acquiring a stake in such firms would be able to master new technologies and develop new management. Vietnamese firms can and should buy into FDI peers, the PM said. He said domestic enterprises should be encouraged to enter joint ventures, become capital contributors and purchase shares in FDI firms with advanced and new technologies. As of now, 129 countries and territories have pledged to invest over $334 billion in 26,500 FDI projects across Vietnam. The sector has created direct employment for nearly 4 million people and 5-6 million indirect jobs. The recent encounter between their warships in the South China Sea shows China will confront the U.S. on key issues. U.S. and China warships have a close brush in the South China Sea on September 30. Photo courtesy of U.S. Navy Experts also say that the encounter is a sign that tensions have escalated and are unlikely to abate in the near future. Chinese destroyer Luyang approached the USS Decatur, a U.S. guided-missile destroyer, as the latter passed within 12 nautical miles of the Gaven and Johnson reefs of the Spratly Islands in the South China Sea on Sunday. The USS Decatur was carrying out a freedom of navigation operation (FONOPs) in the Spratlys. Captain Charles Brown, a spokesman for the U.S. Pacific Fleet, said the Chinese warship conducted a series of increasingly aggressive maneuvers accompanied by warnings for the Decatur to depart the area. He said the Chinese destroyer "approached within 45 yards" of the front of the U.S. ship, adding that the USS Decatur "maneuvered to prevent a collision." Carl Schuster, a former U.S. Navy captain who spent 12 years at sea, now a Hawaii Pacific University professor, said this was very dangerous. "Captains get very nervous when ships get closer than 1,000 yards," he said. Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and the director of the China Power Project at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, a Washington think tank, told VnExpress that the incident demonstrated China's willingness to confront the U.S. The U.S. and China are at loggerheads on several issues, including trade and the U.S. arms sales to Taiwan. "As U.S. willingness to confront China across a range of issues increases, the Chinese are demonstrating their willingness to confront the U.S.," she said. The trade war between the U.S. and China has no sign of de-escalating after the Trump administration imposed 10 percent tariffs on $200 billion of Chinese goods on September 24. Then the tariffs will increase to 25 percent at the start of 2019. U.S. President Trump stressed that if China retaliates, as is expected, we will immediately pursue phase three, which is tariffs on approximately $267 billion of additional imports. China hit back at the U.S. with tariffs on $60 billion worth of American goods, in a tit-for-tat move. On September 25, China released a 71-page white paper, accusing the Trump administration of "trade bullyism practices" that have become "the greatest source of uncertainty and risk for the recovery of the global economy." The U.S. and China previously applied tariffs worth $50 billion on imports of each. As regards Taiwan, the U.S. State Department has approved the sale of spare parts worth $330 million for F-16 fighter planes and other military aircraft, raising Chinas hackles. It has warned that the move jeopardized Sino-U.S. cooperation. At the United Nations Security Council during the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly on September 26, President Trump claimed that China is trying to damage his political standing before the midterm elections because of his imposition of tariffs on billions of dollars in Chinese goods. They do not want me or us to win because I am the first president to ever challenge China on trade," said Trump. Glaser said that China's "aggressive response" to the U.S.' navigation practice was "part of the larger strategic friction in the bilateral relationship," not simply a push back against the U.S. Navy ship sailing close to Chinese-occupied islands in the Spratlys. She makes clear that the incident took place around Gaven and Johnson reefs, two features that are above water at high tide. Therefore, the USS Decator was conducting an "innocent passage" operation, without a military activity. The USS Decatur was on a routine mission in the South China Sea when it came close to a Chinese warship on Sunday. Photo by AFP Expressing the same stance, Peter Harris, Assistant Professor, Colorado State University, stated that it's true that we are witnessing a hardening of the U.S. stance towards China, on the South China Sea and also other issues such as trade and technology. There are several reasons for why President Trump might be adopting a more hardline stance. First, it's clear that the Congress is now opposed to cooperation with China. There have been bipartisan bills to urge a more confrontational approach to China, especially in the military sphere. "Hawkish attitudes towards China are more prevalent among Republicans but also are evident among Democrats. The Trump administration is responding to these domestic pressures and seems to have recognized the political advantages in demonizing China. In short, it's a popular domestic strategy to "get tough" on China," said Harris. It is interesting to note that Trump has not sought to politicize China's human rights record, however, which is something that other presidents have done when they have wanted to look "tough" on China. It would be easy for him to do, but he hasn't, perhaps because he is holding out hope of a "grand bargain" over trade and strategic issues, or perhaps because human rights are not as important to him as they have been for previous presidents, according to Harris. He worries that people are witnessing a gradual increase in Chinese assertiveness in the South China Sea, and so these small but dangerous incidents are likely to become more frequent in coming years unless something can be done to lessen tensions between the U.S., China, and other regional powers. China's message seems to be fairly clear: that they regard the South China Sea as their domain and that the U.S. should not test China's resolve over this core interest. Carlyle Thayer, Emeritus Professor, the University of New South Wales at the Australian Defense Force Academy, gives more reasons for China's encountering in the South China Sea. First, the Trump Administration has markedly stepped up freedom of navigation operations in the South China Sea since it took office. Second, the U.S. has also increased the number of continuous bomber presence patrols of B-52s and B-1s over the South China Sea and East China Sea. Not only are bombers flying from Guam towards China's east coast and turning back before they enter China's airspace, but the U.S. is also demonstrating global reach by flying B-52 bombers from North Dakota in the U.S. and Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean over the South China Sea. The most recent U.S. B-52H flight over the East China Sea was accompanied by an escort of Japan Air Self-Defence Force jets. He said the most important factor is the U.S. recently approved the sale of $3,300 million in spare parts for Taiwan's F-16 fighters. China also cancelled a scheduled port visit by the USS Wasp to Hong Kong and then conducted live firing exercises by People's Liberation Army Air Force planes over the South China Sea. A Chinese Navy Commander also cancelled his visit to the U.S. "China has always vowed to push back against challenges to its sovereignty so it was not surprising that the Chinese warship manoeuvred at dangerous closure to the USS Decator. This should be viewed as posturing," said Thayer. Harris said that the impact of U.S.-China conflict will be bad for everyone in the region, contributing to a perception that international politics is zero-sum game. It would be much better if the U.S. and China could put their bilateral relationship on firmer foundations and work towards a truly positive-sum set of interactions. The spillover effects of such a positive relationship would be felt across the region, he said. Harris added: "A new cold war between the U.S. and China would force others in East Asia to choose sides even more than is currently the case." A HCMC court has found a group of five people guilty of 'activities aimed at overthrowing the peoples administration.' The Ho Chi Minh City People's Court on Friday sentenced Luu Van Vinh, 51, to 15 years in prison; and four other men, accused as his accomplices, to 8-13 years each. After serving their prison sentences, the defendants would also be placed under house arrest for another three years, the court ruled. According to the indictment, Vinh and his accomplices worked together to establish an organization called the "National Alliance of Vietnam." The organization allegedly criticized and distorted the policies of Vietnams Communist Party in an attempt to overthrow the government. The defendants were arrested after police caught them distributing documents promoting the organization at a church in Ho Chi Minh City's Tan Binh District in November 2016. Investigators subsequently identified Vinh as the group's mastermind, responsible for setting goals and policies for the "National Alliance of Vietnam" as well as recruiting members for the illegal organization. Other defendants meanwhile were found guilty of serving as his advisors in expanding and financing the organization, encouraging and strengthening its new members' belief and making preparations for the organization to establish its own army. At the trial on Friday, only one of the defendants admitted to the crime. Vinh and his three accomplices refuted the confessions they had made during the investigation. They claimed that they had simply been making jokes on Facebook and had committed no crime. Prosecutors however said that there was enough evidence to convict them. The court concluded that the defendants' actions had violated national security, as well as the existence and strength of the people's administration and the State of Vietnam, meriting strict punishment. Under Vietnam's Penal Code, "carrying out activities aimed at overthrowing the people's administration" is a crime punishable by 12-20 years in prison, life imprisonment or the death sentence for organizers, instigators and active participants, while accomplices could face 5-15 years in prison. In August this year, the HCMC court had sentenced 12 members of the "Provisional National Government of Vietnam," a U.S.-based group that aimed to overthrow the Vietnamese government, to 5-14 years in prison. A member of Viet Tan, an organization Vietnam has classified as a terrorist group, was also sentenced to 20 years in prison by a court in Nghe An Province that same month. In a similar case, a Hanoi court in April sentenced six members of the "Brotherhood for Democracy," an organization accused of trying to overthrow the government, to 9-15 years in prison. Le Viet Dat and Dang Ba Dat are held at a police station in Nghe An Province for alleged dog theft. Photo courtesy of Nghe An Police Police in Nghe An Province have arrested two men whod stolen at least 11 canines before they were caught. The duo are being held under the charge of stealing property, a crime punishable by up to three years in prison and for resisting officials in the performance of their duties, which carries a maximum sentence of seven years in prison under Vietnams Penal Code, police said Friday. Some police officers on a patrol Wednesday noticed the pair driving around a commune in Nghi Loc District and acting in a suspicious manner. When they asked the duo to stop for a check, the men refused to comply and tried to escape. One of the thieves made a futile attempt to resist the police officers with a knife. Two stolen dogs weighing around 35 kilograms, six pieces of poisoned meat used to kill the dogs and a sharp knife were seized from the pair. Le Viet Dat, 23, and Dang Ba Dat, 24, admitted that theyd stolen 11 dogs earlier. Police seize two stolen dogs, six pieces of poisoned meat to kill the dogs, and a knife from two dog thieves in Nghe An Province on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Nghe An Police Dog theft is rarely treated as a criminal offense in Vietnam. Stolen animals have to be valued at more than VND2 million ($86) for stricter action to be taken. Over the last two decades, however, there has been a public outcry against dog stealing and suspected thieves have been lynched by angry mobs. Vietnam consumes an estimated five million dogs a year, second only to Chinas 20 million. Many of the dogs that make it to the frying pan are stolen pets sold to small, unregulated abattoirs. Recently, the Hanoi Peoples Committee called on residents to stop eating cat and dog meat, saying this reflected badly on the capital city in foreigners eyes. The proposal has received mixed reactions from the public. Soldiers perform a ritual to fly the national flag at half mast at Ba Dinh Square in Hanoi to start two-day state mourning for former Party chief Do Muoi on Saturday morning. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh The state funeral for Vietnam's former Party General Secretary received top officials, veterans and residents in Hanoi Saturday. The funeral is held at the National Funeral Home at 5 Tran Thanh Tong Street from 7 a.m., one hour after the country officially entered two-day state mourning by flying flags at half mast at all government buildings and public places. Vietnam's Party General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong and Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc attend the funeral with other former and current top government officials. The funeral also received delegations led by National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh. Top former and current officials attend Do Muoi's funeral in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh The deceased leader will lie in state at the funeral house for mourners to pay their respects until 7:30 a.m. Sunday. Among honored guests are Nguyen Thi Binh, 91, who served as Vietnam's Vice President between 1992 and 2002, and veterans who spent time at Hoa Lo Prison in Hanoi with Do Muoi. In 1941, at age 24, Muoi was arrested by the French colonialists and sentenced to 10 years at the prison, but he broke out four years later and continued active participation in revolutionary campaigns. The funeral also received delegations from Cambodia, Cuba, Japan and Singapore. Some residents came all emotional. Nguyen Xuan Hung, a 90-year-old grey hair man from Hanoi, cried as he came to pay his respect on Saturday. Hung said his family helped shelter revoluntionaries during the colonial war in 1940s and he, as a 10-year-old boy, brought meals to Do Muoi every day. "He was an extremely nice and honest soldier," Hung said of the late leader. Nguyen Xuan Hung (L, 4th) cries as he comes to Do Muoi's funeral in Hanoi. Photo by VnExpress/Ngoc Thanh Memorial ceremonies are held at the same time at the Independence Palace in Ho Chi Minh City. A memorial service will be held at 9 a.m. Sunday and Do Muoi will be buried in his hometown in Hanoi's Thanh Tri District at 1 p.m. the same day. For his state funeral, several major streets near the funeral home will be closed on Saturday and Sunday. The former Party chief passed away at the 108 Military Hospital on Monday night, after battling ill health for a long time. He was 101. Born Nguyen Duy Cong in Hanoi, Do Muoi was a key figure in Vietnam's revolutionary struggles and its opening up era. He became an active revolutionary at an early age, joining the French Popular Front at 19 and leading campaigns against French colonialists in Hanoi and across northern Vietnam. He served as Vietnam's Party General Secretary from 1991 to 1997, during the countrys transition to a market economy. He is remembered as "an excellent and prestigious leader," "a resilient revolutionary," Party leader Nguyen Phu Trong and his predecessor Le Kha Phieu wrote in the condolence book. Chasing gold in the northern mountains of Vietnam A spectacular, golden panorama appears at this time of the year in a mountainous district of northern Vietnam. Rice terraces in Mu Cang Chai in Yen Bai Province. Photo by Nhat Tan Mu Cang Chai is a rural district of Yen Bai Province, about 300 km northwest of Hanoi. It is one of three places in the northern highlands, including Sa Pa in Lao Cai Province and Hoang Su Phi in Ha Giang Province, where the most beautiful terraced rice fields have been carved into mountains. Around the end of September and beginning of October, the terraced fields along the road look like stairways to heaven, with the rice plants gleaming in golden hues for the harvest season. At this time, the terrace fields do not just depict the ingenuity of locals in carving out a sustainable livelihood; they become aesthetic masterpieces. While there are many videos and photographs capturing this heavenly sight, the experience of seeing and feeling it directly cannot be matched, because, once you get here, the views are supplemented by a cultural exploration and discovery of the HMong people. The itinerary Day 1 - 7:00 AM: A sleeper bus from My Dinh bus station in Hanoi takes you to Nghia Lo Town in Yen Bai. The distance of about 190km is covered in around five hours. Then, you get to drive or ride pillion on a rented motorbike from Nghia Lo to Mu Cang Chai District, which is 100km away and will take around three and a half hours. Motorbike rentals are around VND100,000 ($4.28) per day. - As a bonus, this drive goes through picturesque locations like Tu Le Town, Cao Pha Valley and Khau Pha Pass. - Evening: Arrive at the homestay residence and relax for the night. Day 2 - Morning: After breakfast, depart for Mam Xoi Hill that straddles La Pan Tan and Che Cu Nha villages. You can take Highway 32 to get there. It would take around 30 minutes to get to La Pan Tan and around an hour to get to Che Cu Nha. These are great places if youre hunting for some killer landscape shots. - Afternoon: return to Mu Cang Chai for lunch then get ready to depart for Than Uyen District in Lai Chau Province, which is nearly two hours away. The route from Mu Cang Chai and Than Uyen also has great views, especially at sunset. Watching and participating in everyday life of the locals is a great option to choose. The majority of people who live in this area are of the Thai ethnic minority. Evening: Back to homestay Day 3 - Return home While on the Mu Cang Chai trip, also visit: Khau Pha Pass - Khau Pha Pass: This is one of the four daunting passes in the northwest of the country. In Yen Bai Province, it is about 30 km long, and offers great views of rolling mountains and pristine jungle, and occasional glimpses of waterfalls cascading down. - Tu Le Village: Located in Van Chan District, Yen Bai, about 50 km away from Mu Cang Chai on Highway 32, Tu Le is home to the Black HMong and Thai communities. The roads through Tu Le show off all of what makes northwestern Vietnam so beautiful. The scenery here is a big attraction for photographers and trekkers. Tu Le is also famous for its fresh hot springs, making it a great place to relax and rejuvenate. - Lim Mong Hamlet, Cao Pha Valley: Hidden by mists and clouds, this hamlet can be reached by following Highway 32 toward Tu Le Village for about 32 km from Mu Cang Chai and taking a turn to Lim Mong Hamlet During the harvest season, the hamlet becomes an enormous, colourful painting with blue skies, the fresh green of new crops, the golden colour of crops ready to be harvested, and the warm brown of the earth. La Pan Tan Village Bookings and travel trends in Singapore place the central city of Da Nang in the top 10 destinations for Singaporeans. Tourists enjoy the blue sea in Da Nang in central Vietnam. Photo by VnExpress/Nguyen Dong This is shown by data compiled by Kayak, a Singapore-based travel booking site that allows people to look for cheap flights and hotels for holidays. The site named Da Nang among top 10 places of choice for Singaporean tourists in 2018, based on booking increases and travel trends in the first eight months of this year. Da Nang, home to Asias most beautiful My Khe Beach and a neighbor to the popular ancient town of Hoi An, was third on the list, followed by Indonesias Yogyakarta, Luzon Islands in the Philippines and Malaysias Kuching. Dragon Bridge is an iconic symbol of Da Nang City, a top holiday destination for Singaporeans in 2018. Photo acquired by VnExpress The Indonesian city of Bandung, surrounded by the lush green Parahyangan mountains, topped the list. Along with China and South Korea, Singaporeans have been among the biggest groups of visitors to Da Nang in recent years. Several new international flight routes have been launched to connect Da Nang with other Asian destinations, including mainland China, Hong Kong, Singapore and South Korea. Apart from Da Nangs long and beautiful beaches and natural landscape, Singaporeans are also lured by the open visa policy that facilitates travel. Vietnam currently provides a reciprocal 30-day visa exemption for citizens of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), including Singapore. Earlier, Singapore's Channel News Asia had included the central city in a list of five under the radar destinations in South and Southeast Asia. Once a sleepy fishing town, Da Nang is now a major tourism destination. Travel magazine Live and Invest Overseas, which calls itself the world's savviest source for top opportunities to live better, retire in style, invest for profit, do business, voted Da Nang among worlds most livable cities earlier this year. In the first seven months of this year, Da Nang received more than five million visitors, up 30 percent over the same period last year, according to the city's Tourism Department. More than 1.8 million were foreign arrivals, up 54 percent. The Chicago Tribune has recommended Vietnamese ice coffee as among the best to try in the state. The American newspaper recently listed seven types of coffee that readers should taste. First on the list was Vietnam custard coffee, more often known as egg coffee. The newspaper suggested that readers try this drink at a coffee shop in Chicago, Illinois, where this coffee is made with egg yolk, vanilla and condensed milk through a filter system called phin. The other drinks recommended by the paper include: Ethiopian coffee ceremony, Turkish Coffee, Mexican Cafe de Olla, Coffee Milk Tea, Japanese coffee jelly, Colombian-style coffee. Vietnamese egg coffee is a signature drink of the Vietnamese capital of Hanoi. It was invented in the 1940s when there was scarcity of milk in the city, prompting a bartender to use a replacement. The alternative, whisked egg yolk, turned the coffee into one of the most renowned drinks in the country. A cup of Vietnamese egg coffee. Photo acquired by VnExpress The coffee has three main elements: condensed milk at the bottom, coffee and whisked egg yolk, creating a mixture that combines sweet, bitter and fatty flavors. The inventors descendant now serves the most authentic egg coffee on Nguyen Huu Huan Street in Hanoi. Try it, for the heck of it, and see what happens. The Body Shop is the first international beauty brand to campaign against animal testing in cosmetics. Photo by Reuters Activists on Thursday brought 8.3 million signatures against cosmetic animal testing to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City. On World Animal Day (October 4), dog activists and their owners eagerly joined the global movement to end animal testing in cosmetics organized by The Body Shop and Cruelty Free International. The dogs and their owners took more than 8 million signatures to the United Nations Headquarters in New York City, calling for an end to animal testing in cosmetics globally. The celebration of these signatures is a culmination of more than 30 years of advocacy between The Body Shop, the first international beauty brand to campaign against animal testing in cosmetics, and its long-time campaign partner Cruelty Free International, the first global, non-profit organization dedicated to ending cosmetic product and ingredient testing on animals. The joint effort is the most ambitious campaign ever against cosmetic animal testing and serves as a model to inspire action from businesses, governments and citizens to advance Sustainable Development Goal 12 (SDG12): Responsible Consumption and Production. Lise Kingo, Executive Director of the U.N. Global Compact, joined The Body Shop to discuss how businesses can do more to engage and mobilise consumers in support of the SDGs. The petition signatures, collected from supporters around the world in just 15 months, call on the countries of the U.N. to formalize an international framework to end cosmetic animal testing, everywhere and forever. Cosmetic animal testing is cruel, old-fashioned, expensive and inefficient. Today, there are more reliable alternatives. The Body Shop and many other cruelty-free companies use innovative and effective cruelty-free ingredients in all their products, all tested through non-animal methods. Although there has been sizable progress, 80 percent of countries still have not made it illegal to test cosmetics on animals. Cruelty Free International estimates that more than 500,000 animals each year are used in cosmetics testing. A global framework is the only way to eliminate animal suffering and create a level playing field around the world. Harmonizing safety testing requirements globally would allow companies to avoid unnecessary bureaucracy and test duplication when accessing international markets. Not only would a global framework give confidence to companies that they are producing safe and effective cosmetics while meeting consumer demand for truly cruelty-free products, but also, the global framework would align with the United Nation's vision of a world in which, "humanity lives in harmony with nature and in which wildlife and other species are protected." "In just 15 months more than 8 million people signed their names in recognition that cosmetic animal testing is outdated and unnecessary," said David Boynton, CEO of The Body Shop. "We are determined to finish what Dame Anita Roddick started back in 1989, and today we are at the United Nations to call for collaboration among the cosmetic industry, civil society and governments to finally end cosmetic animal testing everywhere." "This campaign demonstrates that consumers around the world want to see real change," said Jessie Macneil-Brown, Global Head of Activism at The Body Shop. "We look forward to working with U.N. leaders to make this a reality." "A global framework is the only way to truly eliminate animal suffering," said Michelle Thew, CEO of Cruelty Free International. "The petition demonstrates that across the globe, people want this practice to end." "This initiative shows the potential for brands to engage and mobilize consumers at scale in support of the SDGs, and how, by combining business innovation, enabling policies and consumer power, real change can be achieved," Lise Kingo said. "The SDGs are everybody's business, and we look forward to working with The Body Shop to build and share industry knowledge and insights on how to harness consumers and drive collective action." This exchange of experience is useful in the light of the start of an EU-supported Covenant of Mayors Demonstration Project in Chernivtsi. Representatives of Chernivtsi city administration visited Zhytomyr at the end of September to learn about the city's experience in the field of improving energy efficiency and energy consumption management and monitoring, including with EU support. Read alsoNew power line to be built between Ukraine and Slovakia This exchange of experience is useful in the light of the start of an EU-supported Covenant of Mayors Demonstration Project in Chernivtsi, EU Neighbours reported. The city plans to upgrade its public lighting with energy-efficient replacements. LED lamps will be installed and more than 145 km of electricity cables will be replaced. Additionally, six solar-powered lighting systems will be built to light up three children's playgrounds. It is expected that the city will reduce its CO2 emissions and will save electricity and money on public lighting. It comes at a time of sharply increasing investment in renewables in Ukraine. Ukraine unveiled a solar plant in Chornobyl on Friday, just across from where a power station, now encased in a giant sarcophagus, caused the world's worst nuclear disaster three decades ago. Built in a contaminated area, which remains largely uninhabitable and where visitors are accompanied by guides carrying radiation meters, 3,800 panels produce energy to power 2,000 apartments, as reported by Reuters. Read alsoChornobyl goes solar as first panels in nuclear zone near finish - media In April 1986, a botched test at reactor number 4 at the Soviet plant sent clouds of nuclear material billowing across Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate. Thirty-one plant workers and firemen died in the immediate aftermath of the accident, mostly from acute radiation sickness. Thousands more later succumbed to radiation-related illnesses such as cancer, although the total death toll and long-term health effects remain a subject of intense debate. "It's not just another solar power plant," Evhen Variagin, the chief executive of Solar Chornobyl LLC, told reporters. "It's really hard to underestimate the symbolism of this particular project." The one-megawatt solar plant is a joint project by Ukrainian company Rodina and Germany's Enerparc AG, costing around 1 million euros ($1.2 million) and benefiting from feed-in tariffs that guarantee a certain price for power. It is the first time the site has produced power since 2000, when the nuclear plant was finally shut down. Valery Seyda, head of the Chornobyl nuclear plant, said it had looked like the site would never produce energy again. "But now we are seeing a new sprout, still small, weak, producing power on this site and this is very joyful," he said. Two years ago, a giant arch weighing 36,000 tonnes was pulled over the nuclear power station to create a casement to block radiation and allow the remains of the reactor to be dismantled safely. It comes at a time of sharply increasing investment in renewables in Ukraine. Between January and September, more than 500 MW of renewable power capacity was added in the country, more than twice as much as in 2017, the government says. Yulia Kovaliv, who heads the Office of the National Investment Council of Ukraine, said investors want to reap the benefits from a generous subsidy scheme before parliament is due to vote on scrapping it in July next year. "Investors expect that in the renewable energy sector facilities launched before 2019 will operate on the current (beneficial) system of green tariffs," she told Reuters on the sidelines of a conference in Odesa in September. "And that is why investors want to buy ready-to-build projects in order to complete construction before that time." Over 30% Ukrainians get under-the-table wages Fiscal Service Shadowing wages leads to the loss of huge amounts of taxes by local budgets. If you see a spelling error on our site, select it and press Ctrl+Enter Distributed via the CDC Health Alert Network September 7, 2018, 1345 ET (1:45 PM ET) CDCHAN-00414 Summary The Israeli Ministry of Health is reporting an outbreak of leptospirosis in persons with exposure to natural water sources in the Golan Heights region of northern Israel after July 1, 2018. As of September 6, 2018, three persons with leptospirosis who traveled to Israel have been identified in the United States, with additional suspected cases reported and under investigation. Early symptoms of leptospirosis include fever, headache, chills, muscle aches, vomiting, diarrhea, cough, conjunctival suffusion (conjunctival redness without exudates), jaundice, and sometimes a rash. Clinicians should consider leptospirosis as a diagnosis in any patient who develops an acute febrile illness within 4 weeks of travel to one of the areas in northern Israel listed below since July 1, 2018. Background Seven recreational water sites in the Golan Heights region have been linked to the outbreak: Gilabun (Jilbon) Yarden (Jordan) Park Majrase (Majrase-Beteha Nature Reserve) Meshushim (Meshushim Nature Reserve) Yehudiya (Yehudia Nature Reserve) Zaki (Zakhi) Zavitan Leptospira species are spread by the urine of infected animals and can survive for weeks to months in fresh water, soil, and mud. The incubation period is usually 5-14 days, with a range of 2-30 days. Humans acquire the disease through direct contact with urine from animals infected with leptospirosis or with urine-contaminated water or mud. High-risk activities can include wading, swimming, or boating in floodwater or freshwater (rivers, streams, lakes) that may be contaminated with animal urine. Some actions like prolonged immersion in, submerging head in, or swallowing contaminated water can particularly increase risk. Other high risk activities can include direct contact with animals and activities that can lead to skin abrasions and water or soil exposure. Human-to-human transmission is very rare but has been documented through sexual intercourse and breastfeeding. Transmission has also rarely occurred through animal bites. In humans, leptospirosis can cause a wide range of symptoms. Most patients have a mild flu-like illness with symptoms including fever, headache, muscle aches, conjunctival suffusion, vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, and sometimes a rash. Some patients may go on to develop severe illness, including liver and renal failure, hemorrhage (especially pulmonary), aseptic meningitis, cardiac arrhythmias, and pulmonary insufficiency. Leptospirosis is fatal in approximately 5-15% of patients with severe illness. Recommendations Clinicians should evaluate patients for leptospirosis who have onset of an acute febrile illness within 4 weeks of travel to the Golan Heights region in northern Israel, especially with exposure to one of the seven natural water recreational sites listed above. If clinicians suspect leptospirosis in a patient, they should initiate treatment with antibiotics (e.g., doxycycline or penicillin) prior to receiving results of diagnostic tests, as earlier treatment is associated with a decrease in duration and severity of disease. For more specifics about antibiotics and dosage, please see CDCs leptospirosis fact sheet for clinicianspdf icon. Commercially available tests include: Polymerase chain reaction (PCR): a positive result is confirmatory, but a negative result does not rule out leptospirosis. In the acute phase of illness, leptospires are present in the blood (septicemia) for approximately the first 46 days of illness. Leptospires may be shed intermittently in the urine after approximately the first week of illness onset. Screening (non-confirmatory) IgM-based serologic assays (ELISA, ImmunoDot): serologic test results may be falsely negative early in the course of the disease. Antibodies to leptospires develop between 3-10 days after symptom onset, thus any serologic test must be interpreted accordingly. Negative serologic test results from samples collected in the first week of illness do not rule out disease. Repeat serologic testing on convalescent-phase samples collected 7-14 days after the first testing. Samples can be sent to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for confirmatory testing (PCR and confirmatory serologic testing by the microscopic agglutination test). Send all specimens through the state/territorial public health department, unless authorized to send directly to CDC. Specimen submission instructions are available at CDCs Zoonoses and Select Agent Laboratory website (https://www.cdc.gov/ncezid/dhcpp/bacterial_special/zoonoses_lab.html). It is best to submit as many specimen types as possible (both in terms of type of body fluid and collection date within illness progression). Recommended specimens based on collection timing: Acute-phase illness (first week): whole blood and serum Convalescent-phase illness (after first week): serum, with or without urine Leptospirosis is a nationally notifiable disease. Clinicians should report leptospirosis cases to their local/state health department according to their states disease reporting requirements. For More Information Parliamentary Speakers Irakli Kobakhidze of Georgia, Andriy Parubiy of Ukraine and Andrian Candu of Moldova signed a charter of the Interparliamentary Assembly, which has been founded by the parliaments of the three countries, in Tbilisi on Friday. The three countries have common goals and challenges, with "the problems related to territorial integrity" being one of the main common challenges, the Georgian parliamentary speaker said at a joint press conference. "We also pursue common goals, including ensuring the European future for our countries. In this respect, it is extremely important to expand cooperation between the three countries," Kobakhidze said. The Assembly also seeks to jointly protect the interests of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine in the world in various multilateral parliamentary formats, he said. "We try by taking joint efforts to attain that our association agreements with the European Union will turn into the prospect of joining the EU. To these ends we should share with each other the experience of reforms, which have been carried out on the path of integration in Western institutions," the Georgian parliamentary speaker said. The platform of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine will help these countries find a solution to the problem of how to ensure security of all of the three countries in order to manage to join the EU quicker, Candu said. "All of us are members of Eastern Partnership. All of the three countries have an agreement on association, and expanded and comprehensive trade with the EU. At the same time, we face common challenges, which are related to security in that region. It is in particular territorial security, energy independence and those threats, which exist in the area of cyber security, and the problem of disinformation also exists," Candu said. By taking joint efforts within the framework of the Interparliamentary Assembly the parliaments will manage to help the three countries join the EU as soon as possible, and tackle the challenges to security more successfully, Parubiy said. "When we will say in one voice, our partners will hear us quicker and better [...] I am sure that together we will quicker achieve our strategic goal, that is, the accession to the EU," Parubiy said. Two wounded in 19 attacks on Ukrainian positions in Donbas over past day Militants have fired 19 times on the positions of the Ukrainian Armed Forces in Donbas over the past 24 hours, including seven times using weapons banned by the Minsk agreements, wounding two Ukrainian soldiers, the press center of the Joint Forces Operation (JFO) headquarters has said. "Russian invaders opened fire on the positions of our troops 19 times, including seven times with the use of weapons proscribed by the Minsk agreements. Two servicemen of the Joint Forces were injured in fighting," the JFO HQ said in a report on its Facebook page on Saturday morning. Over the past day, militants shelled Ukrainian positions near Krymske, Svobodne, Komyshuvakha, Troitske, Luhanske, Shumy, Maryinka, Novotroitske, Pavlopil, Hnutove, Vodiane, and Shyrokyne. Illegal armed formations used grenade launchers, heavy machineguns and small arms. According to Ukrainian intelligence, two militants were killed and seven wounded in the past day. Ukraine rules out the possibility of legalizing dual citizenship with Russia, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Pavlo Klimkin said. "I would like to say that I categorically object and am opposed to even any ideas and thoughts to legalize dual citizenship with Russia, the aggressor. Any instances of receiving Russian citizenship must duly be investigated by our special services," Klimkin told the UA: Kharkiv TV channel on Friday evening. The possibility of legalizing dual citizenship with other countries can be considered, he said. "Ukrainians have moved to Canada or the United States, but they still have their Ukrainian mindset and are ready to help us. Possibly, we may assess on what terms and in what way they can also receive temporary or full Ukrainian citizenship, at the same time retaining their current citizenship," the minister said. Ukraine needs a new law on citizenship, Klimkin said. When asked whether he sees the need to introduce criminal liability for Ukrainians with dual citizenship, Klimkin said that "a lot of ethnic Hungarians and Romanians in our country hold dual citizenship, and if we introduce criminal liability for all, would it mean that all of them are by definition criminals?" Verkhovna Rada First Deputy Chairwoman Iryna Gerashchenko, who represents Ukraine in the working group on humanitarian issues, has received two letters from Ukrainian political prisoners held in Russia, Oleh Sentsov and Roman Sushchenko. "Today I received two letters. With a few sentences. One was written with such a weak hand that I had to decipher words and letters. These letters are very important and dear to me. From Roman Sushchenko and Oleh Sentsov. They were handed over by their lawyers and relatives of political prisoners. These are personal letters. They were written by very strong people who believe in Ukraine. They were convicted for this," Gerashchenko wrote on her Facebook page on Friday evening. Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II has said he hopes that autocephaly will soon be granted to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, according to Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andriy Parubiy. "We had a long conversation about the path of autocephaly. He [Patriarch Ilia II] says that this is not an easy path, but he hopes that this path will be passed, and the decision will be positive," Parubiy said after a meeting with the patriarch in Tbilisi on Friday, October 5. When asked whether the Georgian patriarch spoke about pressure from the Russian Orthodox Church, the parliament speaker noted that they had not discussed this issue. "However, we know that the day before yesterday a letter came from Moscow Patriarch Kirill, in which he calls on all the patriarchs to meet and discuss the Ukraine issue," Parubiy added. A Syria woman, who arrived at the Hoptivka checkpoint in Kharkiv region from Russia, has appealed to Ukrainian border guards with the request to grant her refugee status in Ukraine, the press office of the Eastern Regional Directorate of the Ukrainian State Border Guard Service reported on Saturday. "During border control, the woman turned to border guards with the request to grant her political asylum in Ukraine. During the conversation, the woman explained that she was pregnant and arrived in Ukraine to save her life and the life of her future child, because there is a civil war in Syria which Russia fruitfully supports, and she is forced to seek asylum in Ukraine," reads the statement. The woman also told border guards that she had arrived in Russia legally, but is afraid to stay there due to oppression by Russian special services because of her Islamic faith (Islam). After filing the documents, the Syrian citizen was sent to the General Directorate of the State Migration Service in Kharkiv region. People's Front Party leader Arseniy Yatsenyuk believes that a permanent international monitoring mission should immediately be deployed to the Sea of Azov, and NATO member states must send their military ships there to prevent Russia from isolating the Ukrainian city of Mariupol. "We will not allow Russia to block the Azov Sea and Mariupol. It is necessary to urgently deploy a permanent international monitoring mission to the Sea of Azov," the party's press service quoted Yatsenyuk as saying in an interview with Radio Liberty during his visit to Berlin. He stressed that the conflict in the Sea of Azov is "part of the plan of Russia's aggression against Ukraine." According to Yatsenyuk, Russia plans "to isolate Mariupol, destabilize it, and try to implement a plan to capture further territories of Ukraine." "The annexation of the Crimea, then Donetsk and Luhansk, then Putin hoped that he would capture Mariupol, Kherson, reach Odesa, and fully extend the chain to Transdniestria," he said. He stressed that the Ukrainian Navy is increasing its presence in the Sea of Azov, but it is not enough. He noted that Ukraine is at war with a nuclear power, "which spends tens of billions of dollars on its armed forces." "I believe that NATO member countries, not just the United States, should decide on the supply of military vessels to protect the Sea of Azov. Regarding the political aspects, then, of course, we don't want escalation. But we will not allow Russia to block the Sea of Azov and Mariupol. Therefore, I believe that it is urgent to deploy a permanent international monitoring mission to the Sea of Azov," Yatsenyuk said. While Iran's parliament is preparing to vote on a bill restricting money laundering and support for terrorism demanded by the international community, the Friday Prayer Leaders across Iran bitterly attacked President Hassan Rouhani for backing the bill. Iran is under pressure by the International Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to accept a number of U.N. conventions against unlawful financial activities and support for terrorist entities. Joining international anti-corruption conventions is crucial for Iran if it ever wants to emerge from economic isolation and attract foreign investments. In tandem with fiery sermons delivered by the clergy, who are directly appointed by the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, an anti-FATF rally was held at Friday Prayers location in the capital city, Tehran. Furthermore, a member of the influential Expediency Council (EC) has also insisted that it will definitely reject the bill. Debate on Iran joining the international convention against financing global terrorism has triggered widespread protests among the conservative camp that rules country, while ordinary people showed their anger against corruption in mass protests this year. The ever-growing protests by conservatives forced parliament to temporarily shelve the bill and other bills related to it, last June. The bill was scheduled to be re-introduced to parliament last Sunday, September 30, but, once again a crowd gathered outside to protest the move. The protesters, numbering over 200, said endorsing the bill would amount to betraying the values of the "Islamic Revolution" and is against guidelines of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Several ultra conservative lawmakers, including former commander of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC), Javad Karimi Qoddousi, were among the participants. The protesters, introducing themselves as Tehran university students, carried banners and chanted "joining the FATF will harm Iran's security and economy", deploring the government for presenting the FATF to the legislative body for a final approval. Rouhani's proposed bill is part of four sets of legislation, known as "Palermo Bills" in Iran, and is intended to get Tehran out of FATF's black list. Two other bills have been approved by the parliament, so far, but rejected by the legislative watchdog, the Guardian Council (GC), calling for amendments. After parliament refused to amend the bills, they were referred to the Expediency Council, which is entrusted with acting as an arbiter between the two bodies. Attacking the bills in recent days, mainly after the publication of a diagram against them on Khamenei's official website, has significantly intensified. Responding to Khamenei's position, the Friday Prayer Leaders across Iran barraged the bills with vitriolic criticism, on October 5. City of Rasht Friday Prayer Leader, Rasoul Falahati blasted FATF, insisting, "The Islamic Republic is an independent regime with independent planning; therefore, it will never bow to 'Zionist' conventions." Moreover, dozens of people were carrying placards condemning the Palermo bills on the fringes of Tehran Friday Prayer, October 5, IRGC affiliated news agency, Fars, reported.The possible signatories of FATF bill were accused of "treason" on the placards, Fars said. Responding to these attacks, Tehran's outspoken MP, Mahmoud Sadeqi, has tacitly pointed out that widespread propaganda by "certain circles" against Palermo Bill is a sign that shows the involvement of those certain circles with money laundering, smuggling and financing terrorism. Heated debate on the controversial bills is going on in Iran at a time that U.S. President Donald Trump's national security adviser has called the Islamic Republic "the central banker of international terrorism" Laying out a wider strategy for countering Tehran in the Middle East, John Bolton told reporters on October 4 that the U.S. strategy toward Iran would use both military and nonmilitary means to push back on Iranian-backed militants, and their financial backers. Iran, he said, had been "the worlds central banker of international terrorism since 1979." The Islamic Republic of Iran continues to witness a rise in the amount of seized opium and opiates such as heroin or morphine, owing largely to its locationon the Golden Crescent, a drug pathway leading fromAfghanistan and Pakistan through Iran to Europeanmarkets. This pathway is integral to the issue of drug abuse in Iran, which is often centred on the use of opium and its derivative substances. Other reports say Iran's drug policy is failing to grasp the significance of this public health crisis; an immense challenge hard to tackle. According to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), Iran has seized almost 529 thousand kilograms of opium in 2016 alone, making it the country with the largest amount of seized opium in the world. The 2018 World Drug Report published by the UNODC also shows that Iran is the worlds second country in the amount of seized heroin, with the government seizing over 21 thousand kilograms of heroin in 2016. While both of these substances are derived from the poppy straw of the opium plant, it is heroin which remains the drug of choice to a majority of Iranian drug uses, says the report. According to research carried out by the Iranian Drug Control Organization, out of the total 2.8 million drug addicts in Iran, 67% use heroin or some other forms of refined opium. While the widespread use of heroin may be caused by its highly addictive nature, it is also very likely that its popularity is due to the sheer amount of opium circulating in the country. With that in mind, the large amount of opium moving through the country also results in the drugs low price. According to UNODC statistics from 2009, a gram of heroin can be bought for less than 2 US dollars. In comparison, the typical price of a gram of heroin in the United States ranges from 34 dollars up to 40 dollars. Despite the governments efforts to capture drug traffickers at the borders with Afghanistan and Pakistan, as shown by both the number of drug seizures but also the frequent violent clashes between armed forces and drug traffickers in the Sistan-Baluchistan province, its policy towards drug users has proven thoroughly unsuccessful. Indeed, Abdol Reza Rahmani Fazli, Irans interior minister, said during the 61st session of the UN Commission on Narcotic Drugs in Vienna, It is unbelievable that we have been incapable to control 3 percent of the population who use narcotic drugs? Fazli has described Irans campaign against drug addiction as a vicious cycle where most drug users quickly return to drugs. Indeed, this vicious cycle could be partly attributed to the oppressive policy of Iranian authorities. According to the Interior Minister, up to 43% of Iranian prisoners have been imprisoned for drug-related charges. This clearly shows that drug users in Iran are perceived as criminals by the authorities, instead of being victims of their addiction who need rehabilitation and support. By doing so, the users enter this vicious cycle which throws them into poverty and prisons. Yet the implications of drug use in Iran are not only limited to the abuse of opium and the imprisoning of many of its users. While methamphetamines constitute only 8% of the countrys drug consumption, they became integral to Irans drug culture, the Iranian Drug Control Organization maintained. According to UNODC, Methamphetamines or, in Farsi, Shisheh, are often used as a supplementary substance to opiates, either as substitute for heroin or a way how to avoid heroins severe withdrawal symptoms. This highlights the problematic nature of Iranian drug policy, which seeks to punish the user. Mohammad Bakhshandeh, the chief of the Drug Police of Greater Tehran, has said that the whole policy needs restructuring. If we have accepted the fact that addicts are not criminals and consider them as sick individuals, we should also accept that it is municipal and health departments duty to look after them, not the polices, he said, describing the disorganized policy where the policies of individual offices do not pursue one collective aim. Meanwhile, Moreover, drug abuse in Iran has a significant gender dimension. According to statistics published by The Washington Post in 2014, 350 thousand women were addicted to drugs in 2012, a number which doubled to 700 thousand by 2014. Although heroin is again the chief substance used by these women, methamphetamines have been reported as a widely used drug by female addicts. Indeed, some reports have gone to the extent as saying that some Iranian women now use methamphetamines to lose or maintain their weight. This drug abuse is often carried out in female-only environments such as beauty salons, which makes it difficult to monitor. Akin to the governments treatment of the growing HIV epidemic, Iran's drug policy is failing to grasp the significance of this public health crisis. While officials have called for reform, it is clear that a well organised policy should have been implemented much earlier. Indeed, drug use has permeated through Iranian society and will prove to be an immense challenge for the government to tackle. Washington, Oct 5, 2018 (AFP) - Former secretary of state John Kerry voiced fear Friday of conflict with Iran after the United States pulled out of a denuclearization deal, saying regional leaders had privately pressed him for military strikes. Kerry spearheaded diplomacy that led to the 2015 agreement in which Iran promised Western powers, Russia and China to scale back its nuclear program drastically in return for sanctions relief. By pulling out of the accord, President Donald Trump has "made it more likely that there will be conflict in the region because there are people there who would love to have the United States of America bomb Iran," the former senator and presidential candidate told the Council on Foreign Relations as he promotes his memoir, "Every Day is Extra." Kerry said that Saudi Arabia's late king Abdullah and Egypt's ousted president Hosni Mubarak had both told him that the United States should attack Iran, even while they would not take the position publicly. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, an outspoken critic of the Iran deal, had also asked then US president Barack Obama for the green light to bomb Iran, Kerry said. While UN inspectors found that Iran was complying with the accord, Trump declared the deal to be a disaster for not addressing other US concerns with Iran including threats to Israel, support for Islamist militant moves such as Hezbollah and Tehran's missile program. But Kerry said the United States was "actually getting them to do things, quietly," including on easing the conflict in war-ravaged Yemen, and believed that President Hassan Rouhani was "trying to move the country in a different direction." "What Trump has done is now empower the guys in Iran who said don't deal with the United States, they'll burn you," Kerry said. "He has made it more likely that if there is an implosion in Iran internally through pressure or otherwise, it will not be an unknown Jeffersonian democrat who is going to appear and take over, it will be the IRGC or another Ahmadinejad, and we will be worse off and the people of Iran will be worse off," he said, referring to the hardline Revolutionary Guards and former firebrand president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Trump has lashed out at Kerry for meeting Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif since leaving office, accusing him of violating an obscure US law that prohibits private citizens from negotiating on disputes with foreign governments. Kerry said Trump was seeking to distract from his own scandal related to alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and said it was normal for former officials to maintain communication with foreign counterparts. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 By Samir Ali - Trend: Konstantin Zatulin, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the Lower House of Russian Parliament, is attempting to undermine the strategic partnership that exists between Russia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Karimli told Trend. According to Karimli, such activities of the Russian deputy is unacceptable and should be seriously discussed. "This issue should also be discussed in the Russian Parliament. Zatulins responsibilities include regulating relations with the CIS countries. This person should strive to improve Russia's relations with these countries, rather than slander," Karimli said. The MP added that Zatulin's position does not reflect Russia's position on Azerbaijan. "It is known that Zatulin has close ties with Armenians and always depends on the Armenian lobby. Therefore he always slanders Azerbaijan. His attempt to undermine relations between Azerbaijan and Russia is unacceptable. In general, we need to seriously address this issue, because Zatulin is a state official," Karimli added. The MP added that the Azerbaijani embassy in Russia should raise this issue in the Russian Foreign Ministry and Parliament, because Zatulin seeks to belittle Azerbaijan. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 Trend: It is necessary to prepare a document to form a unified logistics system of the Turkic-speaking states, chairman of Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, Lieutenant-General of Customs Service Safar Mehdiyev said. He made the remarks Oct. 6 at a meeting with a delegation led by Secretary General of the Cooperation Council of Turkic-speaking States (CCTS) Bagdad Amreyev, Azerbaijans State Customs Committee said in a message. Mehdiyev noted that as part of the organization, both bilateral relations and high-level ties of mutually beneficial cooperation were established between the fraternal countries, and a common position was demonstrated. It was also noted at the meeting that the ties in the customs sphere, just like in all spheres, are at a high level. It was said that a vivid example of this is the exchange of information among the CCTS member states, the signing of agreements and protocols, the implementation of a test project for the early transfer of information. Mehdiyev added that the heads of the Turkic-speaking states gave specific instructions to further strengthen cooperation in the customs field. He noted the need to prepare and implement a document on the formation of a unified logistics system in order to fulfill the obligations arising from these instructions. Mehdiyev also said that the Azerbaijani customs service and a number of countries in the region implement electronic exchange of information, and noted that the use of such an exchange among all members of the organization creates conditions for simplifying trade and customs control, speeding up export-import operations. In turn, Secretary General of the CCTS Bagdad Amreyev said that a unified position of the leaders on strengthening economic ties, cooperation in the field of transport and logistics was demonstrated and important steps were taken in this direction at the final summit of the CCTS. Amreyev noted that this meeting and contacts to be held in October in Kyrgyzstan will also play an important role in enhancing cooperation. Then, an exchange of views took place at the meeting on a number of issues of mutual interest. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 6 Trend The Iranian capital city of Tehran will host an international industry exhibition from October 13 to 16, an IRIB news agency report said. According to the report, representatives from domestic and foreign brands and factories will set up pavilions at the exhibition in Tehran to display their latest achievements in the sector of industry. Mohammad Khazraei, the director of the Organization for Investment, Economic and Technical Assistance of Iran, said 180 foreign firms from 10 countries, including Germany, India, China, Japan, Switzerland, Italy, and France would participate in the four-day event. On the sidelines of the 18th edition of the international event, talks will be held with trade delegations and investors from various countries to enhance ties, he added. The exhibition will be held at Tehran international permanent fairground. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 6 Trend The Iranian Ministry of Industry has lifted a ban on the export of packing paper and tissue paper, a report said. In a directive circulated recently, all customs points across the country were allowed to export packing paper and tissue paper, Mehr news agency reported. On August 15, the exports of packing paper, tissue paper, powdered milk, bulk and packed tea, and over 500g packets of butter were prohibited in a move to regulate the domestic market. Due to the reinstatement of US sanctions, the Iranian administration is considering amendments to the country's exports and imports regulations. The ministry also passed an order to ban the export of several commercial items, including woods, MDF, and newsprint. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 Trend: Azerbaijans State Customs Committee hosted a joint meeting of the boards of the State Customs Committee and the Ministry of Taxes to discuss the implementation of the Action Plan to improve the control system of export-import operations approved by the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dated July 28, the State Committee said in a message. The meeting was attended by chairman of Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, Lieutenant-General of the Customs Service Safar Mehdiyev, Minister of Taxes Mikayil Jabbarov, as well as the heads of relevant structures. Mehdiyev touched upon the importance of the flawless implementation of the presidential instructions to both structures in a short period of time. Mehdiyev also noted that the State Customs Committee and the Ministry of Taxes established links of effective cooperation and all entrepreneurs and business entities will feel the benefit of this cooperation in their daily activities. In turn, Jabbarov noted that holding the meeting in an expanded format will serve expanding cooperation between the two structures and the joint activity will be continued in the future to successfully fulfill the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev. The minister also noted the need to intensify the work envisaged by the action plan. He added that the measures taken to coordinate the activities of the customs and tax authorities will have a positive result. Then the representatives of both structures made a report on the work on the implementation of the action plan and spoke about the organization of the mutual exchange of information, a single platform for risk management, changes in the legislation and other issues. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 By Ilkin Shafiyev Trend: The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR hopes to complete the process of selecting a contractor for the preparation of a feasibility study of the project of providing Bulgarias certain regions with gas by the end of the year, head of SOCAR Balkans company Murad Heydarov told Trend. "SOCAR was charged with exploration of the possibilities of participating in the project of providing Bulgarias certain regions with gas," Heydarov added. "A working group was created to fulfill that. The working group held several meetings at the working level, in particular, with the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy, Bulgarian Bulgartransgaz EAD." "We received initial information and analyzed it," he said. "On this basis, a decision was made to carry out a detailed feasibility study. Today we are selecting a contractor, a consultant who, in fact, will carry out a feasibility study. According to the feasibility study, a decision will be made on our participation in the project. We hope that by the end of the year the contractor will begin work." Back in 2015, the Bulgarian government submitted a package of projects on energy cooperation to Azerbaijan. In particular, the Azerbaijani side was offered to participate in the construction of filling stations, invest in the construction of oil and gas storages, oil refineries. Bulgaria expects to receive Azerbaijani gas through IGB, a gas pipeline that will be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The initial capacity of IGB will be three billion cubic meters of gas. TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29. A ceremony to launch TANAP took place June 12 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. At an initial stage, the gas to be produced in the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets via the South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP and TAP. ---- Follow the author on Twitter: @IlkinShafiyev Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 Trend: Uzbekistan introduced a visa-free regime for French citizens, Uzbek media reported citing the presidential decree on the issue. The visa-free regime is introduced in order to create favorable conditions for the development of international relations between Uzbekistan and France, promote cultural, scientific, educational exchange, improve the investment climate and positively influence the development of tourism potential. The visa-free regime is valid for 30 days. The number of French tourists visiting Uzbekistan is growing annually. In 2016 their number was 4,889 people, in 2017 - 5,748 people and in the first eight months of 2018 - 9,172 people, which is almost two times more than in the entire 2017. Cooperation in the tourism sector between the relevant institutions of Uzbekistan and France is carried out on the basis of the Memorandum of Understanding signed on November 2, 2011. According to the memorandum, the parties support cooperation in promoting tourism in both countries, in expanding and strengthening close ties between the tourism companies of Uzbekistan and France. Training and improving the skills of personnel, as well as in attracting investment in tourism are also among the aims. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 Trend: President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev will pay an official visit to France on October 8-9 at the invitation of his French counterpart Emmanuel Macron, Uzbek media reported. The visit is expected to include talks between the presidents, meetings with the leadership of the parliament, representatives of leading companies and financial institutions of France. The agenda of the Uzbek-French summit includes issues of further development of political dialogue, expansion of practical cooperation in trade, economics and finance, joint implementation of investment projects in various sectors, as well as enhancing cultural and humanitarian exchanges. Following the meetings and negotiations, more than 10 intergovernmental and interdepartmental documents will be signed. These include agreements on cooperation in the fields of economics and finance, transport, tourism, ecology, culture and art, a program of cooperation between foreign ministries and others. A meeting of the President of Uzbekistan with the UN Director-General for Education, Science and Culture Audrey Azoulay will also take place. Prospects for deepening the partnership between Uzbekistan and UNESCO will be discussed during the meeting and a joint action plan for 2018-2021 will be adopted. Representatives of a number of Iranian knowledge-based companies visiting Uganda to the accompaniment of Vice President for Scientific and Technological Affairs Sourena Sattari signed four memoranda of understanding with the Ugandan firms, IRNA reports. A conference of Iranian and Ugandan companies was in held Kampala with participation of Ugandan Minister for Science and Technology Elioda Tumwesigye, Sourena Sattari and Irans Ambassador Seyyed Morteza Mortazavi. Representatives of Iranian knowledge-based companies active in health and pharmaceutical, chemical industries, communications and technology, electricity and electronics, aerospace, engineering services, machinery and equipment and banking sectors held talks with the representatives of Ugandan private and state-run sectors on ways of promoting cooperation. During the meeting, the Ugandan minister said that grounds are prepared for the Iranian companies to invest in the country. He also called on the Iranian firms to work out a long-term plan for presence in the countrys market of 40-million. Sattri also commented on Irans scientific and technological status, saying that Iran is ready for sharing its technology with the country. Former Pakistans Ambassador to the US and senior politician has urged the Pakistani government to pay special attention to enhance trade ties with Iran, IRNA reports. In an interview, Syeda Abida Hussain added Iran-Pakistan relationship is extremely important. Iran is not only a neighboring state, but we have many many things in common, she noted. Former minister added that in order to improve the relationship we should try to increase our bilateral trade because that will give a big boost to the relationship between Iran and Pakistan.' Abida Hussain was of the view that Pakistan should try to make a block of Iran, Turkey, Russia and China as that would serve the interests of all of the countries of this region. I think that is where we should be heading, former Ambassador added. She said that if Iran and Pakistan work together, Afghan peace would be more feasible. I feel that new Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan should make an effort to bring Iran and Saudi Arabia closer together, said the former minister. The politician strongly believed that Pakistan should definitely go for the completion of Iran-Pakistan (IP) gas pipeline project to overcome its energy problems. This project is very important for Pakistan and should be completed as early as possible, she viewed. According to published reports, Iran holds the world's second-largest natural gas reserves after Russia. We are ready to transfer more gas to other countries in the form of LNG and pipeline deliveries, the deputy minister concluded. Iran is a large producer of gas and neighbors will need more gas in the near future. We should prepare the grounds as a promising future is awaiting Irans gas industry, Araqi said. The forum kicked off in the Russian capital on October 3 and will come to an end on October 6. Subscribe to Trend in Google News! Turkeys Samsun bans unvaccinated visitors from abroad Turkey relaxes COVID-19 restrictions at mosques Turkey reports 23,637 daily COVID-19 cases Iranian Oil Minister Bijan Zangeneh was supposed to attend the meeting but could not make it. Iran has the capability and capacity to expand its export markets and boost its gas exports to neighboring nations and other clients, Hamid-Reza Araqi said, who is in Moscow attending the Russian Energy Week-2018 forum, said recently, according to Shana. The managing director of the National Iranian Gas Company (NIGC) said the country has the capacity to increase its gas exports to neighbors and its other clients. Tehran, Iran, Oct. 6 Trend Flooding across the northern and northwestern parts of Iran has claimed four lives since Friday, a report said. Floods hit several areas in the northern and northwestern parts of Iran after days of heavy rain, destroying homes and bridges. Citing sources in Irans Rescue and Relief Organization, Tasnim news agency said at least four were killed as results of flooding and lightning. Over the past two days, four provinces of Mazandaran, Gilan, Ardabil, and West Azarbaijan were hit by floods. Rescue teams are helping people pump out flooded houses and pull out cars stuck in flood, the report added. Baku, Azerbaijan, October 6 By Azer Ahmadbayli Trend: In the near future, it will depend on President Macron whether the European Big Three (France, Great Britain, and Germany) will continue to maintain unity in the issue of preserving the Iranian nuclear deal. One recent issue may have an impact on how France will decide on the nuclear deal. In early July, the media reported on the operation of the Belgian police to detain two immigrants from Iran suspected of preparing a terrorist attack in France. The detention of Iranians occurred in the town of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. Police found materials used for production of a bomb in their car. According to police, they were going to carry out a terrorist attack in the suburbs of Paris during a conference that gathered many representatives of the Iranian opposition in exile. And, several days ago, i.e. three months after the incident happened, official Paris eventually revealed its position on the issue. France has accused Iran's intelligence ministry of being behind a foiled plot to bomb an exiled opposition in a move that risks straining already complicated ties between Paris and Tehran, AFP reported on October 3. "This extremely serious act envisaged on our territory could not go without a response," France's interior, foreign and economy ministers said in a rare joint statement. Also, a French diplomatic source told AFP that the security forces had concluded that "the head of operations at the (Iranian) intelligence ministry ordered it". Iran denied any involvement, how could it not? Iranian foreign ministry spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told AFP in an interview that Tehran rejected the French complaint "completely and forcefully", but said the door for discussion was open. Reportedly, Assadollah Asadi, an Iranian diplomat based in Vienna, is directly relevant to the plot, and has been detained in Germany for further proceedings. That is another serious accusation among many others, which has been made against Iran, now by France. Article 421-1-4, 421-2-1, 421-6-2, 421-6-3 of the Criminal code of France clearly qualify these actions as a felony. The only thing that raises doubts is that there is no hard evidence of the crime which has been made public in a transparent manner. This is why, commenting the issue, all media outlets have to use expressions such as allegedly, reportedly etc. But this will not hinder France to use this incident and join the US by withdrawing from the nuclear deal if official Paris decides to do so. Jean-Yves Le Drian, Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, was on his visit to Washington from October 4 to 5. During this visit, Jean-Yves Le Drian met with Michael Pompeo. He was also planned to meet John Bolton, President Trumps national security adviser. Perhaps, at those meetings Mr. Pompeo and Mr. Bolton tried to convince the French side that it should take a proper decision. Georgia has been steadily intensifying its economic relations with the EU in recent years. With a growing confidence and vision to develop the energy sector, its intention to expand has attracted many aid programs, GeorgiaToday reports. The Georgia and German development bank, KfW, and Georgia and French development agency, AFD, signed a loan agreement for aid amounting to a total of EUR 74 mln that will go towards improving Georgias energy sector. According to the loan agreement, KfW and AFD are ready to fully support the Georgian energy sector reforms and plan to cooperate with Georgia over the next four years (2018-2021). These agreements are proof that the EU and countries such as France and Germany are committed to playing a role in our energy development and reforms. We are fully mobilized to develop and support the reform, said Giorgi Kobulia, Minister of Economy and Sustainable Development of Georgia. With the agreement, we will further enhance the fruitful cooperation in the energy sector which was established by the Georgian authorities. The energy sector is a crucial area, as it includes topics of high-importance such as energy security and effective use of a countrys resources, said Carl Harcelli, the EU Ambassador to Georgia. The European Union will also approve disbursement of EUR 8.5 mln in grants to assist in funding the energy sector reform within the frames of the Neighborhood Investment Platform (NIP). Kurds in Syria Shutdown Assyrian School for Refusing Kurdish Curriculum (AINA) -- Kurdish PKK authorities closed an Assyrian school in Derbiseye, Syria after Assyrian school officials refused to adopt a Kurdish teaching curriculum. The Kurdish PKK prosecutor in Derik/Malikiye, Syria, issued the order on August 7, which is Assyrian Martyrs Day. Letter from Kurdish PKK ordering closing of the Assyrian school in Derbiseye, Syria. The Syrian government is expected to take control of all schools in the area in the upcoming weeks, but that did not stop PKK officials from attempting to impose the Kurdish curriculum on Assyrians. The PKK has targeted Assyrian schools in the past. In November, 2015 sixteen Assyrian and Armenian organizations issued a statement protesting Kurdish expropriation of private property in the Hasaka province of Syria. The statement accused the Democratic Union Party (PYD), the Syrian wing of the Turkish Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), of human rights violations, expropriation of private property, illegal military conscription and interference in church school curricula (AINA 2015-11-02, 2016-05-24). The Kurdish-language primary school curricula introduced by the PYD-led Kurdish authorities in northern Syria in October, 2015 was heavily criticized for being too ideological and "prioritizing a single view over all others." (AINA 2015-10-21) The Assyrian Bishop in Hasaka, Maurice Amsih, denounced the Kurdish curriculum in September, 2016 (AINA 2016-09-16). Saudi Arabias Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said the kingdoms main sovereign wealth fund (PIF) will surpass its target of increasing its assets to $600 billion by 2020, as part of a plan to reduce the economys dependence on oil, Reuters reports. We are now above $300 billion, were getting close to $400 billion. Our target in 2020 is around $600 billion. I believe we will surpass that target in 2020, the prince said in a Bloomberg interview. He added that the fund, with more than 50 percent of its investments located in Saudi Arabia, will be investing in more places next year. The fund would invest another $45 billion in Softbank Vision fund, the worlds largest private equity fund, backed by Japans Softbank Group and the PIF, which invests in technology sectors such as artificial intelligence and robotics. We have a huge benefit from the first one. We would not put, as PIF, another $45 billion if we didnt see huge income in the first year with the first $45 billion, the prince said. Locally, one of the biggest investments for the PIF is a planned $500 billion business and industrial zone called NEOM extending into Jordan and Egypt, announced in October 2017. Prince Mohammed said the first town in NEOM will be ready in 2019 or 2020, with the entire site completed by 2025. China will be part of the solution to the North Korean crisis, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said, brushing aside the possibility that worsening U.S. tensions with Beijing could hamper efforts to persuade Pyongyang to give up its nuclear weapons, Reuters reports. Speaking to a pool reporter en route to his fourth visit this year to North Korea, Pompeo said the aim of his talks in Pyongyang at the weekend would be to make sure we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve. He said he also hoped to be able to agree a general date and location for a second summit between U.S. President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un. Asked whether increasing tensions with China would hamper his efforts after Vice President Mike Pence on Thursday signaled a tough new approach to Beijing going beyond a bitter trade war, Pompeo said China had consistently made clear it wanted to see North Korean denuclearization. And they have said in spite of places where we have disagreements and other things - we have had disagreement on trade and the like - that they are determined to support our efforts to see this through to its completion, consistently since we first began this process, he said. We know that China is going to be part of the solution, thatll ultimately be when we get to the end, he said. If we do this well we will have signed a peace treaty that ends the armistice, that China will be part of that. Kim pledged at an unprecedented June 12 meeting with Trump to work toward denuclearization of the Korean peninsula, but his actions since have fallen short of Washingtons demands for irreversible steps to give up an arsenal that potentially threatens the United States. Representatives of the European Union and Russia have held consultations in Brussels on issues of flight safety for Russian aircraft to member countries in the Safety Assessment of Foreign Aircraft (SAFA) program, Russia's Permanent Mission to the EU said, TASS reports. "On October 5, 2018, Russia-EU bilateral technical consultations were held in Brussels on issues of ensuring flight safety for Russian airlines that transport passengers and cargoes to airports of member countries in the SAFA program. At the meeting, the results of inspections of Russian airlines' aircraft were discussed," the diplomatic mission said adding that the Russian delegation was headed by deputy head of Rosaviatsiya air transport agency Oleg Storchevoy. Russia's Permanent Mission to the EU said that "representatives of the European Commission noted the continuing positive tendency of improvements in flight safety of Russian airlines." "The sides confirmed high effectiveness of holding meetings in this format," the mission added. The diplomatic mission stressed that meetings in this format between the EU and Russia have been held without any interruptions. "Despite freezing dialogue on transport overall, work in this sphere [flight safety of Russian airlines] has continued without any disruptions since 2009," the mission said. The Standard & Poors credit scoring agency upgraded its credit rating for Israel, citing the Jewish states steady economic growth and improved debt outlook, The Times of Israel reports. With the raising of its credit score from A+ to AA- with a stable outlook, Israel notched its highest ever rating from S&P and other international credit rating firms. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the upgraded rating as a reflection of the strength of the Israeli economy. In announcing its decision, S&P cited Israels stable growth and improved fiscal position in light of the sharp reduction in net government debt. Chilean Mining Minister Baldo Prokurica, on Friday agreed to jointly collaborate with the European Union (EU) to incorporate new technologies into the country's mining industry, mainly the exploration of lithium, according to Xinhua. Prokurica met with the EU delegation headed by Neven Mimica, EU's commissioner for International Cooperation and Development and the EU's ambassador to Chile, Stella Zervoudaki. The minister explained Chile's need to apply new technologies to increase the industry's economic output, strengthen safety, raise efficiency and tighten cybersecurity. According to Prokurica, technology has already offered advances to the nation's mining industry, such as automation, "Now we have 330-ton trucks that are driven by GPS." "The use of remote on-site controls allow mining processes to be managed from a distance, which is why it is important that Chile has sound cybersecurity," he added. Outlining the EU's stance, Zervoudaki said that cybersecurity and technology are issues already under discussion at an international level and meetings could be held to address these matters together. "Cybersecurity is important for everyone; some of our delegates are working in Spain, France and Germany. Today in Chile we could establish joint work," said the ambassador. The two sides also discussed the potential that Chile has regarding lithium, commonly used in heavy industry and technology, which is vital to the Chilean economy. They agreed that the EU could send experts to Chile to analyze the investments required to fully recognize its potential. "Scientists and researchers could come together with those Europeans so that they could generate a value chain for lithium, which is so important for Chile," he said. Chile is one of the major producers of lithium in the world, with an approximate annual production of 80,000 tons. The number could exceed 300,000 tons a year by 2035, according to official estimates. Russia and Madagascar have signed an intergovernmental agreement on military cooperation, the press service of the Russian defense ministry said, TASS reports. The agreement was signed during the visit of Deputy Chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces Lieutenant General Yevgeny Burdinsky who was received by Prime Minister of Madagascar Christian Ntsay. "The meeting yielded an agreement between the governments of Russia and Madagascar on military cooperation," the Russian defense ministry said. Burdinsky and Ntsay discussed issues of regional security and areas of cooperation between the two countries armed forces. Burdinsky visited a number of units of Madagascars army, familiarized himself with its structure, weapons and hardware. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov on Saturday has talked about the upcoming Russian President Vladimir Putin's birthday, Sputnik reports. "The president will spend this day with loved ones, relatives and friends," Peskov said answering a question about Putin's plans for the birthday. Former Italian prime minister Silvio Berlusconi said that he will fly to his friend Vladimir Putin on his birthday. "I'm flying on a plane to celebrate my friend Vladimir Putin's birthday. I will take the opportunity to discuss all the most important international problems," the message says on his Facebook page. Putin often spent his birthdays with his family. For instance, in 2016 the Russian leader spent most of the day with his relatives and friends. On Sunday, October 7, Putin will turn 66. Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: Secretary General of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) Yousef Al-Othaimeen condemned the attack on the military convoy in Turkey, the OIC said in a message on Oct. 6. Othaimeen also expressed condolences to the Turkish government and people. "The OIC and all of its members are united in the fight against terrorism," the message reads. In Turkey's Batman Province, four servicemen were killed and five were injured after an explosion hit a military convoy on Oct. 4. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted more than 25 years, claiming more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 6 By Rufiz Hafizoglu - Trend: The Armed Forces of Turkey will fight for the complete destruction of the terrorists, Turkish media reported citing the Minister of National Defense of Turkey Hulusi Akar Oct. 6. The Turkish Armed Forces, as before, will wage a fierce and merciless fight against the PKK, Akar said. He stressed that Turkey is one of the few countries that is fighting against all terrorist organizations alone. In Turkey's Batman Province, four servicemen were killed and five were injured after an explosion hit a military convoy on Oct. 4. The conflict between Turkey and the PKK, which demands the creation of an independent Kurdish state, has lasted more than 25 years, claiming more than 40,000 lives. The PKK is recognized as a terrorist organization by the UN and the EU. --- Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu Dupa inscrierea pe site-ul HotNews.ro, poti deschide sectiunea MyHotNews ca sa completezi sau sa schimbi profilul de utilizator. Atentie! Logarea pe site se face cu adresa de email, nu cu nickname-ul. Adresa ta de email va ramane confidentiala si nu va fi niciodata data unor terte persoane sau institutii. Inainte de a te inscrie pe site te rugam sa parcurgi termenii si conditiile atasate unui cont HotNews.ro. KYODO NEWS - Oct 6, 2018 - 19:45 | World, All Indonesia said Saturday that the death toll from last month's powerful earthquake and tsunami that struck Central Sulawesi province has risen to 1,649, as a Japanese Air Self-Defense Force transport plane arrived in the provincial capital as part of international relief operations. The National Disaster Mitigation Agency said the number of people listed as missing has more than doubled from 113 the previous day to 265, the number of people with serious injuries remains unchanged at 2,549. The number of people displaced has decreased from 70,821 to 62,359 as residents who sought refuge following the Sept. 28 quake and tsunami and have starting returning home or relocating to outside the province. The ASDF C-130 transport plane arrived in the provincial capital Palu, bringing humanitarian relief goods from the nearby island of Kalimantan. Foreign aid is being directed to Kalimantan across the Makassar Strait because parts of Palu's airport were damaged by tremors. (Japan's relief goods at Palu airport) After arriving in Palu, Col. Masashi Ota, who is directing Japan's transportation operation, told reporters that he wants to provide support to the victims as quickly as possible. The Japan International Cooperation Agency has donated equipment including 500 tents, 80 generators and 20 water purifiers, which earlier arrived in Balikpapan, the main city on Kalimantan. Also on board were some 50 ASDF personnel, including eight tasked with assessing damage and the needs of victims. The group departed Wednesday from Komaki Air Base in Aichi Prefecture. According to the Japanese Defense Ministry, the aircraft will be transporting supplies from Kalimantan to Sulawesi daily. Cargo planes from countries including Singapore, New Zealand and Australia are already involved in the effort to transport supplies to Palu. KYODO NEWS - Oct 6, 2018 - 21:30 | World, All Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen, who is visiting Tokyo from Saturday for a regional summit, said he plans to seek support from Japan for Cambodia's hosting of the Asia-Europe Meeting in 2020. Hun Sen told Kyodo News in a written interview on Friday that the meeting will allow a developing country like Cambodia to showcase its potential to attract investment and tourism, which are significant factors to further develop its economy. Hun Sen flew to Japan for the Japan-Mekong summit, which will also be attended by the leaders of Laos, Thailand, Myanmar and Vietnam. He is slated to have a bilateral meeting with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the sidelines of the summit. During his five-day stay in Japan, Hun Sen said he will seek to strengthen relations with Japan in many fields. In Cambodia's general election held in July in which no credible opposition took part, Hun Sen's Cambodian People's Party won all seats in the National Assembly. The European Union has been critical of the Cambodian government over the election, especially with regard to the forced dissolution of the main opposition Cambodia National Rescue Party ahead of the election and a five-year political ban for 118 members of the party. When asked whether Cambodia is concerned about the possibility of some European countries boycotting the Asia-Europe Meeting over the election, Sok Siphana, an adviser to the Cambodian government who is involved with ASEM preparations, said Cambodia is supported by all nine other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. If the summit takes place as planned, it will be the first time for Cambodia to host such a large gathering of leaders from Asia and Europe. Regarding logistics and accommodation, Sok Siphana said Cambodia will be able to cater to and entertain world leaders given that many new hotels and high-rise buildings have been sprouting up all over the country, especially in the capital city Phnom Penh, over the past 10 years. Hun Sen, who has been in power for 33 years, also said that he regards his eldest son, Hun Manet, as a possible future leader of the Southeast Asian country. However, he acknowledged that no matter how capable the four-star general may be, "When the time comes, only the power of the people nationwide could determine who will become their new leader." The Asia-Europe Meeting was established in 1996 as a forum for dialogue and cooperation between Europe and Asia. It aims to strengthen the relationship between the two continents. The forum brings together 53 partners, including the 30 European countries -- 28 EU member states, Norway, Switzerland -- 21 Asian countries, and the ASEAN Secretariat The ASEM summit is organized every two years to set out the priorities of the partnership. These summits are held alternatively in Asia and Europe. KYODO NEWS - Oct 6, 2018 - 23:00 | All, World A project to build an oil refinery in Iraq with Japanese financial aid will begin by year-end, after being delayed by the Islamic State militant group, according to an executive of an Iraqi state-run company. South Refineries Co. is set to call for bids by December to build the plant in the southern city of Basra, with an eye toward construction beginning next year, director general Husam Weli said in a recent interview with Kyodo News. [Photo courtesy of Iraq's South Refineries Co.] Japan, which has already provided around 42 billion yen in loans for the project, will extend additional official development assistance to bring the total to more than 300 billion yen ($2.6 billion), Weli said. Japan and Iraq agreed on the project in 2012, but construction was delayed in part by the IS seizing control of large swathes of Iraq over ensuing years. As many refineries in Iraq were destroyed by the extremist group or are old, one of the largest oil-producing countries in the world has been forced to import gasoline and other petroleum products. Weli visited Japan in late September to meet with officials of companies wishing to participate in the bidding. By Satoshi Iizuka, KYODO NEWS - Oct 6, 2018 - 22:29 | World, All Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo agreed Saturday to urge North Korea to take concrete steps toward denuclearization as they coordinated policies ahead of Pompeo's visit to Pyongyang. Pompeo, who is expected to meet North Korean leader Kim Jong Un on Sunday, promised Abe too that he will raise the issue of Japanese nationals abducted by the North in the 1970s and 1980s. Abe and Pompeo also reaffirmed that U.N. sanctions should be implemented until North Korea denuclearizes, the Japanese Foreign Ministry said. "We would like to coordinate our policies toward North Korea's abduction, nuclear and missile issues," Abe said at the outset of the meeting with Pompeo at the prime minister's office. As Tokyo and Washington have been in even closer contact with each other than before the historic U.S.-North Korea summit in June, Pompeo said, "We'll have a full coordinated, unified view of how to proceed, which will be what is needed if we're going to be successful in denuclearizing North Korea." Abe has placed priority on resolving the abduction issue and he has expressed his willingness to engage in direct talks with Kim. Pompeo also met with Foreign Minister Taro Kono later in the day. "It's our shared goal between Japan and the United States to resolve the abduction issue," Kono told reporters after the meeting. [Pool] In Pyongyang on Sunday, Pompeo will seek to work out the details of a second U.S.-North Korea summit that President Donald Trump has said he would hold "in the not too distant future." But speaking on his plane en route to Tokyo, Pompeo said, "I doubt we will get it nailed," according to U.S. media reports. He said he hopes to "begin to develop options for both location and timing for when Chairman Kim will meet with the president again." U.S. Special Representative for North Korea Stephen Biegun is accompanying Pompeo. It will be Biegun's first visit to North Korea since assuming the post in August, while Pompeo is making his fourth trip there. Following his trip to Pyongyang, Pompeo will visit South Korea to meet with President Moon Jae In and Foreign Minister Kang Kyung Wha, and stop over in China on Monday, the U.S. State Department said. Speculation has emerged recently that Washington will agree with Pyongyang on a conditional end-of-war declaration in return for concrete steps toward the North's denuclearization, which is expected to be a major issue at the envisioned U.S.-North Korea summit. The 1950-1953 Korean War ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty, which means U.S.-led U.N. forces, including South Korea, are technically still at war with North Korea. Beijing and Seoul have expressed expectations for the declaration, while Tokyo has remained cautious. Pompeo canceled his planned trip to the North Korean capital in late August due to a lack of credible action by Pyongyang, even though Kim pledged to work toward "complete" denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula in the first-ever U.S.-North Korea summit in June in Singapore. Kim expressed his readiness, in a meeting with Moon in Pyongyang last month, to permanently dismantle the North's main nuclear complex if the United States takes "corresponding measures." In New York in late September, Pompeo and North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho agreed that the secretary of state would visit Pyongyang to prepare for the second Trump-Kim summit. (Contribution by Noriyuki Suzuki) The Supreme Court had earlier directed Tamil Nadu to immediately submit the details of the exact quantity of leak in the dam. Russian President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Delhi's Hyderabad House held delegation level talks during the 19th India-Russia Annual Bilateral Summit. After the exchange of agreements both leaders issued press statements at Hyderabad House where India inked a $5 billion deal to get hold of Moscow's most advanced air defense system the S-400 Triumf. India is intending to buy five units. In his address Putinsaid It is my great pleasure to once again invite Prime Minister to participate in the next Vladivostok Forum as the main guest. Russian president informed the PM Modi about the situation in Syria and also discussed the situation that came as a result of action of US to withdraw from Iran deal. While PM Modi on his press address said India gives priority to its relations with Russia. He added that Russia has always been a part of India's growth story.PM Modi also said ,Our countries have mutual benefits in supporting struggle against terrorism, Afghanistan & Indo-Pacific events, climate change; organisations like SCO, BRICS, G20 & ASEAN. We have agreed to continue cooperation to these international organizations. Deal for five Russian S-400 Triumf missile shield systems has been signed by India. Deal for space cooperation also signed between Russia and India. An Indian monitoring station will be built near the Russian city of Novosibirsk in Siberia, said Sources. President Putin arrived Thursday and was greeted by Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj at the airport and welcomed by PM Modi at his residence on lavish dinner. Russian President Vladimir Putin, accompanied by top officials including foreign minister Sergei Lavrov, held talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi at Hyderabad House in New Delhi. Condolence books for former Party leader opened abroad Vietnamese embassies abroad held tribute-paying ceremonies and opened condolence books for former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Do Muoi. Large numbers of foreign officials, diplomats, friends and overseas Vietnamese around the world paid tribute to former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Do Muoi at Vietnamese Embassies around the world. Do Muoi, who passed away in Hanoi on October 1 at the age of 101, served as General Secretary of the CPV Central Committee from June 1991 to December 1997. Vietnam holds a State funeral and two days of national mourning for him on October 6 and 7. In Chile, after the Vietnamese Embassy opened a condolence book on October 5 (local time), a representative from the Chilean foreign minister Juan Carlos Barrientos and President of the Chile-Vietnam Cultural Institute Angela Margarita Jeria Gomez were among the guests who came to pay last respects to the deceased Vietnamese party leader. Ambassadors and diplomats from the embassies of Russia, Cuba, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, El Salvador, Brazil, Venezuela and Turkey also paid tribute and wrote in the funeral book. At the tribute ceremony held by the Vietnamese Embassy in the Czech Republic, the embassy staff were joined by representatives from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Morava, ambassadors and diplomats of ASEAN countries, Japan, Russia, the Palestine, Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Algeria, Libya, Ghana, and Vietnamese associations in Europe and the Czech Republic. A representative from the Communist Party of Bohemia and Morava wrote in the funeral book: On behalf of the leader of the Communist Party of Bohemia and Morava and Vice President of the Chamber of Deputies Vojtech Filip, we offer deepest condolences to the Vietnamese people over the loss of a great son, a great politician who is also a friend of the Czech Republic. Similar events were held and funeral books opened at the Vietnamese Embassies in Germany, Belgium, Ukraine, Myanmar and Israel on October 4 and 5. Most funeral books will remain open through October 6. The Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia organised a tribute-paying ceremony for former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) Do Muoi on October 4-5. Writing in the funeral book, Vietnamese Ambassador to Cambodia Vu Quang Minh lauded the former leader for his contributions to the revolutionary cause of the Party and the nation. Minh wrote that in his capacity as the General Secretary of the CPVCC, comrade Do Muoi made historic and strategic directions in external relations such as normalising ties with China and the US, signing the Framework Agreement on Comprehensive Partnership and Cooperation with the European Union, joining ASEAN and launching negotiations on the Bilateral Trade Agreement with the US. At the ceremony, Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace Kong Sam Ol conveyed a letter of condolences from King Norodom Sihamoni to General Secretary of the CPVCC Nguyen Phu Trong. Sim Ka, a member of the Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) Central Committees Standing Board expressed his profound condolences to the Vietnamese Party, government and people and family of comrade Do Muoi and wished that he will rest in peace. The ambassadors of Laos, Singapore, the Republic of Korea, Myanmar, India, Thailand, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, and representatives from embassies and international organisations in Phnom Penh also came to pay their last respects to the former Party leader. On October 5, the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia, the Vietnamese Consulate Generals in Sydney and Perth also held respect-paying ceremonies and opened funeral books for the former Party chief. Representatives of the Australian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade, diplomatic corps, embassies of Laos, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Venezuela also paid tribute to comrade Do Muoi. Lao Ambassador to Australia Sisavath Inphachanh wrote that the former General Secretary was a great leader who made great contributions to national liberation and development, as well as ties between the two Parties and special solidarity and comprehensive cooperation between Laos and Vietnam. A similar ceremony was also held in Myanmar on October 5. Foreign leaders extend sympathy over former Party chiefs passing Former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee Do Muoi (left) and Cuban leader Fidel Castro. Foreign leaders have extended messages of condolences to their Vietnamese counterparts over the passing of former General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Central Committee (CPVCC) Do Muoi. In a letter sent to CPVCC General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, First Secretary of the Communist Party of Cuba Raul Castro said he was saddened when learning about the death of the former Party chief. As a close friend of Cuba, comrade Do Muoi had contributed to consolidating the fraternity between the two countries, he said. Raul Castro extended the deepest sympathy to Party General Secretary Trong and former Party General Secretary Do Muois family. President of Cubas Council of State and Council of Ministers Miguel Diaz Canel also cabled condolence messages to Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc and Acting President Dang Thi Ngoc Thinh. The government and people of Cuba always keep in mind comrade Do Muois contributions to the development of the long-standing friendship and fraternity between the two countries, he said. Myanmars State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi expressed her sympathy to PM Nguyen Xuan Phuc while President Win Myint extended condolences to Acting President Thinh. They highly valued former Party General Secretary Do Muois outstanding leadership and great contributions to advancing political, economic and social position of Vietnam in regional and international arena. Thailands Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha and Foreign Minister Don Pramudwinai sent messages of sympathy to PM Phuc and Deputy PM and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh. The Thai leaders praised the Vietnamese former Party chiefs great contributions to Vietnams Doi Moi (Reform) process, and laying a firm foundation for the strategic partnership between the two countries. Other condolence messages came from Japanese PM Shinzo Abe, and President of Japan-Vietnam Friendship Parliamentary Alliance and Secretary General of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan Toshihiro Nikai to PM Phuc and President of the Vietnam-Japan Friendship Parliamentarians Group and head of the Party Central Committees Organisation Commission Pham Minh Chinh. Deputy PM and FM Minh also got a message from Japanese Foreign Minister Kono Taro. In their letters, the Japanese leaders praised former General Secretary Do Muoi as a talented leader who significantly contributed to national development and paid due attention to promoting the Vietnam-Japan relationship. In a message to Party General Secretary Trong, President of the Republic of Korea Moon Jae-in hailed former Party General Secretary Do Muoi for his great contributions to the relations between Vietnam and the RoK, especially the establishment of the bilateral diplomatic ties. Vietnamese Ambassador to Israel Cao Tran Quoc Hai writes in the condolence book Guests pay tribute to former CPV General Secretary Do Muoi at the Vietnamese Embassy in Ukraine Lao Ambassador to Australia Sisavath Inphachanh pays tribute to the deceased leader and writes in funeral book at the Vietnamese Embassy in Australia Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of the Royal Palace Samdech Kong Sam Ol lit incense in memory of the deceased Vietnamese Party leader at the Vietnamese Embassy in Cambodia The tribute-paying ceremony at the Vietnamese Embassy in the Republic of Korea The Cuban Ambassador to Thailand writes in the funeral book opened by the Vietnamese Embassy in Thailand Staff of the Vietnam's Permanent Mission to the United Nations pay tribute to Party leader Do Muoi The US Ambassador to Myanmar writes in the funeral book VNA A delegation of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV) Central Committee led by General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong pay tribute to Do Muoi CPV General Secretary lit incense in tribute to Do Muoi National Assembly Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan, former President Nguyen Minh Triet, former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An paid last respects to the Party leader Former Prime Minister Nguyen Tan Dung, former National Assembly Chairman Nguyen Van An, former President Truong Tan Sang, former NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc, former CPV General Secretary Nong Duc Manh, former President Tran Duc Luong CPV General Secretary Nguyen Phu Trong, former CPV General Secretary Le Kha Phieu, Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc Former President Truong Tan Sang, former NA Chairman Nguyen Sinh Hung and other officials The delegation of the Central Military Commission and Defence Ministry is led by Politburo member, Vice Secretary of the Central Military Commission and Defence Minister Ngo Xuan Lich The delegation from the Finance Ministry is led by member of the CPV Central Committee and Minister Dinh Tien Dung The delegation of the Supreme People's Procuracy is led by member of the CPV Central Committee and Prosecutor General Le Minh Tri The delegation of the Ministry of Home Affairs is led by member of the CPV Central Committee and Minister Le Vinh Tan The delegation of the Party Committee of the Naval High Command The delegation of the Health Ministry is led by Deputy Minister Nguyen Viet Tien The delegation of the Foreign Ministry is led by Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Pham Binh Minh The delegation of the Vietnam News Agency is led by member of the CPV Central Committee and General Director Nguyen Duc Loi WASHINGTON, D.C., October 5, 2018 -- In the world of catalytic reactions, polymers created through electropolymerization are attracting renewed attention. A group of Chinese researchers recently provided the first detailed characterization of the electrochemical properties of polyaniline and polyaspartic acid (PASP) thin films. In AIP Advances, from AIP Publishing, the team used a wide range of tests to characterize the polymers, especially their capacity for catalyzing the oxidation of popularly used materials, hydroquinone and catechol. This new paper marks one of the first pairings of standard electrochemical tests with nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) analysis in such an application. "Because these materials can be easily prepared in an electric field and are cost-effective and environmentally friendly, we think they have the potential to be widely used," said Shuo-Hui Cao, an author on the paper. Although PASP has shown excellent electrocatalytic responses to biological molecules, newer areas of inquiry have explored the material's ability to lower the oxidational potential in oxidation-reduction reactions. Reducing the oxidation potential is key for finding further uses for two materials used extensively as raw materials and synthetic intermediates in pharmaceuticals, hydroquinone and catechol. Conductive polymers, like polyaniline, have attracted attention for their high conductivity and low cost. To better understand these materials, Cao and his colleagues tested how well PASP and polyaniline were able to oxidize hydroquinone and catechol using several standard electrochemical techniques, including attenuated total reflection Fournier transform infrared spectrophotometry, cyclic voltammetry and electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. Using proton-based NMR, they monitored the progress of each reaction by directly measuring how quickly reactants were used and products were created. Cao said that their work using NMR analysis on catechol looks to fill a gap they found in the literature. "The NMR technique allows us to find out more about their molecular structure and better compare the catalysts' characteristics quantitatively," Cao said. The group discovered that the polymer-modified electrodes both improved conductivity. PASP's catalytic activity of both hydroquinone and catechol was found to outpace that of polyaniline by a factor of two. Later NMR studies confirmed that electrically induced molecular transformations allowed PASP to serve as a better catalyst. The findings led the researchers to postulate that polyaspartic acid electropolymerized thin films might be more suitable for use as catalysts over polyaniline in many situations. Cao said he hopes to further develop NMR techniques that pair with electrochemical testing. So far, the group has used a type of NMR that incorporates one dimension of frequency analysis. In addition to being able to examine new material features, using two-dimensional techniques will allow the group to extend their work to more complicated molecules. ### The article, "The electrochemical oxidation of hydroquinone and catechol through polyaniline and poly(aspartic acid) thin films: A comparative study," is authored by Ye Feng, Chengsen Zhao, Shuo-Hui Cao, Shuhui Cai, Huijun Sun and Zhong Chen. The article appeared in AIP Advances Sept. 11, 2018 (DOI: 10.1116/1.5042135) and can be accessed at http://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1116/1.5042135. ABOUT THE JOURNAL AIP Advances is an open access journal publishing in all areas of physical sciences--applied, theoretical, and experimental. All published articles are freely available to read, download, and share. The journal prides itself on the belief that all good science is important and relevant. Our inclusive scope and publication standards make it an essential outlet for scientists in the physical sciences. See https://aip.scitation.org/adv/. Fossil teeth from Italy, among the oldest human remains on the Italian Peninsula, show that Neanderthal dental features had evolved by around 450,000 years ago, according to a study published October 3, 2018 in the open-access journal PLOS ONE by Clement Zanolli of the Universite Toulouse III Paul Sabatier in France and colleagues. These teeth also add to a growing picture of a period of complex human evolution that we are only beginning to understand. Zanolli and colleagues examined dental remains from the sites of Fontana Fanuccio, located 50km southeast of Rome, and Visogliano, located 18km northwest of Trieste. At around 450,000 years old, these teeth join a very short list of fossil human remains from Middle Pleistocene Europe. Using micro-CT scanning and detailed morphological analyses, the authors examined the shape and arrangement of tooth tissues and compared them with teeth of other human species. They found that the teeth of both sites share similarities with Neanderthals and are distinct from modern humans. There has been much debate over the identities and relationships of Middle Pleistocene ancient humans in Eurasia. The discovery of Neanderthal-like teeth so early in the record adds support to the suggestion of an early divergence of the Neanderthal lineage from our own, around the Early-Middle Pleistocene transition. The teeth are also notably different from other teeth known from this time in Eurasia, suggesting that there may have been multiple human lineages populating the region at this time, adding to a growing list of evidence that the Middle Pleistocene was a time of more complex human evolution than previously recognized. Zanolli adds: "The remains from Fontana Ranuccio and Visogliano represent among the oldest human fossil remains testifying to a peopling phase of the Italian Peninsula. Our analyses of the tooth internal structural organization reveal a Neanderthal-like signature, also resembling the condition shown by the contemporary assemblage from Atapuerca Sima de los Huesos, indicating that an overall Neanderthal morphological dental template was preconfigured in Western Europe at least 430 to 450 ka ago." ### In your coverage please use this URL to provide access to the freely available article in PLOS ONE: http://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0189773 Citation: Zanolli C, Martinon-Torres M, Bernardini F, Boschian G, Coppa A, Dreossi D, et al. (2018) The Middle Pleistocene (MIS 12) human dental remains from Fontana Ranuccio (Latium) and Visogliano (Friuli-Venezia Giulia), Italy. A comparative high resolution endostructural assessment. PLoS ONE 13(10): e0189773. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0189773 Funding: Publication of this work was supported by the Centro Fermi (Roma). The ICTP/Elettra. EXACT Project has been funded by the Regione Friuli-Venezia Giulia. We acknowledge the excavation team from Atapuerca-Sima de los Huesos for their arduous work. The excavation, scanning and analysis of the Atapuerca sample has been funded by the CGL2015-65387-C3-1, 3-P project of the Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad (MINECO) and CEN074A12 from Consejeria de Educacion from Junta de Castilla y Leon Government, Spain. Gordon Getty (2013) and Dub Crook (2014, 2015, 2016) of the Leakey Foundation provided financial support to one of the authors (MMT). MMP has a predoctoral contract from the Junta de Castilla y Leon (BOCYL-D-20052013-14), co-financed by the European Social Funds and LMF had a postdoctoral research grant from Fundacion Atapuerca. Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist. Rush University Medical Center today received the Bernard A. Birnbaum, MD, Quality Leadership Award, given annually by healthcare services company Vizient to academic medical centers, complex teaching medical centers and community hospital members that demonstrate superior performance in its Quality and Accountability Study. "This year's award winners demonstrate how leadership, collaboration, adaptability and the use of advanced analytics can create the shared sense of purpose that is necessary to achieve a high level of performance across the care continuum. We are proud to recognize the achievements of each winning organization," said Byron Jobe, president and chief executive officer for Vizient. Rush ranked second among 99 leading academic medical centers in the United States in the study, the sixth consecutive time Rush has been ranked in the top five among participating academic medical centers. "Being ranked so highly again among so many of our peer institutions in Vizient's survey shows once more that the patient care Rush provides is among the best in the nation," said Dr. Larry Goodman, CEO of the Rush system and of Rush University Medical Center. "It's just as important that we so consistently have been ranked among the top five participating medical centers, demonstrating the consistent excellence of the care Rush provides, year after year." Ratings are based solely on objective data measures The Vizient study, which also included 100 complex teaching medical centers and 93 community hospitals, evaluated participants' performance based on the Institute of Medicine's six domains of care -- safety, timeliness, effectiveness, efficiency, equity and patient centeredness. Unlike other reviews of hospitals that take reputation into account or that are limited to data about patients with Medicare or Medicaid, the Vizient study is based entirely on objective data related to patient outcomes for all inpatients regardless of insurance. The analysis determined the rankings based on the most recently available full year of data from the Vizient Clinical Data Base; the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' Core Measures and the centers' Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers and Systems survey; and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Healthcare Safety Network. Rush uses data to guide improvements in care Rush's improvement in the rankings in part reflects the Medical Center's continuous dedication to quality improvement. "When we get our data back from Vizient, we don't just say, 'it's great.' Instead, we look for where have opportunities for improvement and use the data to drive change in those areas," said Dr. Omar Lateef, senior vice president and chief medical officer at Rush For example, Rush improved its ranking in the study's safety domain by reducing avoidable patient harm by 8.7 percent during its past fiscal year, with a significant focus on reducing hospital acquired infections, hospital acquired pressure injuries and falls with injuries. "Focused efforts that included doctors, nurses, information technology, housekeeping and care quality team members resulted in a 21 percent reduction in C difficile infections," said Richa Gupta, MBBS, vice president, performance improvement and operational effectiveness, and chief quality officer at Rush. Rush also improved in the efficiency of care and effectiveness domain, which partially is due to a recently established collaboration between physicians, nurses and case managers to assess patients potential discharge needs early in their hospital stay. Such assessments help avoid patients being kept in the hospital for extra days while arrangements such as home care or rehabilitation are made, enabling them to begin the process of returning home sooner. "If you know up front the patient is going to have additional needs after hospitalization, you can start making plans and involving the family members, which can shave days off their length of stay," said Dr. Brian Stein, associate chief medical officer. "Reducing unneeded days spent in the hospital, and getting home sooner, is always a good thing for patients." "The extraordinary physicians, nurses and staff at all levels of Rush are at the heart of why we are routinely recognized through such objective quality rankings," said Michael Dandorph, president of the Rush System and Rush University Medical Center. "These committed professionals are focused on providing excellent, compassionate care and accommodating our patients wherever they choose to see their Rush health care provider." Vizient ranking the latest in steady stream of honors for Rush. The Vizient ranking is the latest in a consistent stream of honors for Rush University Medical Center and the other Rush system hospitals that are unique among U.S. academic health systems, including the following recognitions: U.S. News & World Report ranked seven programs at Rush University Medical Center among the best in the country in the latest edition of its annual "Best Hospitals" issue. For the fourth consecutive time, all three Rush hospitals -- Rush University Medical Center, Rush Oak Park Hospital and Rush Copley Medical Center -- received an 'A' grade for safety, the highest possible, from the Leapfrog Group, a nonprofit patient safety watchdog organization, in its latest round of its twice-yearly safety grades, which were announced in April. The Leapfrog Group also named Rush University Medical Center a Top Teaching Hospital (which is different from Leapfrog's safety grade) in December. Rush University Medical Center and Rush Copley Medical Center each received five stars, and Rush Oak Park Hospital was awarded a four-star rating, in the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' latest Hospital Compare overall rating in December. Rush is the only medical center in Chicago with a five-star rating. Rush University Medical Center received its fourth consecutive Magnet designation, the highest honor in nursing, in January 2016, and Rush Oak Park Hospital received Magnet status in March of that year. In March, the Human Rights Campaign -- a civil rights organization that advocates for equality for people who are gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and/or queer/questioning -- named Rush University Medical Center a Leader in LGBT Health Equality for the tenth consecutive year. The HRC also named Rush Oak Park Hospital a leader for the fifth consecutive year. Rush University Medical Center and Rush Oak Park Hospital both have received the Healthgrades Outstanding Patient Experience Award, which recognizes hospitals that provide an overall outstanding patient experience. Healthgrades evaluates patient experience performance by applying a scoring methodology to 10 patient experience measures, using data collected from the 32-question survey of the hospital's own patients. Hospitals in the top 15 percent with the highest overall patient experience scores are recognized as Outstanding Patient Experience Award recipients. ### OTTAWA and BOSTON and CARLSBAD, Calif., Oct. 04, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Akcea Therapeutics Inc. (AKCA), an affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. (IONS), announced today that TEGSEDITM (inotersen injection) is now approved in Canada for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR).1 Following a priority review by Health Canada, TEGSEDI, an RNA-targeted therapeutic, is the first treatment approved for Canadians living with hATTR amyloidosis, a disease caused by the abnormal formation of the transthyretin (TTR protein), resulting in TTR amyloid deposits in various tissues and organs throughout the body. The progressive accumulation of these deposits leads to sensory, motor and autonomic dysfunction, affecting multiple aspects of a patient's life. We appreciate Health Canadas thorough and timely evaluation of TEGSEDI under priority review, and we look forward to working with all stakeholders to ensure that patients can receive timely and appropriate access to this important new treatment for Canadians living with hATTR amyloidosis, said Jared Rhines, general manager at Akcea Therapeutics Canada. On the heels of TEGSEDIs marketing authorization in Europe, this news also represents an exciting milestone for Akcea with our first drug approval in Canada. We believe this achievement underscores Akceas commitment to the global rare disease community and our mission to deliver innovative therapies to patients no matter where they call home. We are excited to launch this innovative therapy along with Akcea ConnectTM, our comprehensive support program, for patients and their healthcare providers coast to coast. TEGSEDI is a once-weekly at-home subcutaneous injection that targets hATTR amyloidosis at its source by reducing the production of TTR protein. Today marks an exciting day for Canadians living with hATTR amyloidosis and their families as inotersen is the first approved disease-modifying therapy to address the significant burden many bear in living with debilitating and progressive symptoms. A tremendous emotional burden often comes with an inherited disease, and we believe this approval, and the innovation behind this treatment, means that today an important step in their hope for a brighter future has been realized. We now look forward to Akcea working with stakeholders to make this drug available to patients as soon as possible, says Durhane Wong-Rieger, President and CEO, Canadian Organization for Rare Disorders (CORD). Story continues "hATTR amyloidosis is a debilitating disease that carries with it significant morbidity and mortality, and we are extremely limited in options to offer patients with this disease and their families. The approval of inotersen changes this and is a welcome advance. In NEURO TTR, the study upon which Health Canada approval was sought, the changes from baseline showed statistically significant benefit in favor of inotersen treatment, including polyneuropathy symptoms and quality of life, says Dr. Vera Bril, Professor of Medicine at the University of Toronto, Director of Neurology at University Health Network and Mount Sinai Hospital and the Krembil Family Chair in Neurology. ABOUT TEGSEDITM (INOTERSEN INJECTION)1 TEGSEDITM (inotersen injection) is an antisense oligonucleotide (ASO) inhibitor of human transthyretin (TTR) production. TEGSEDI, discovered and developed by Ionis Pharmaceuticals, is also approved in the E.U. for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) and is currently under regulatory review in the U.S. The approval is based on data from the NEURO-TTR study which was a Phase 3 randomized (2:1), double-blind, placebo-controlled, international study in 172 patients with hATTR amyloidosis with symptoms of polyneuropathy. The 15-month study measured the effects of TEGSEDI on neurological function and on quality-of-life by measuring the change from baseline in the modified Neuropathy Impairment Score +7 (mNIS+7) and in the Norfolk Quality of Life Questionnaire-Diabetic Neuropathy (Norfolk QOL-DN) total score. TEGSEDI provided significant benefit on both of these co-primary endpoints in the NEURO-TTR study, including improvement in disease relative to baseline measurements in both co-primary endpoints for a substantial portion of patients as published in the New England Journal of Medicine2. Special Warnings and Precautions TEGSEDI is associated with reductions in platelet count, which may result in thrombocytopenia. Platelet count should be monitored at least every two weeks during treatment with TEGSEDI and for 8 weeks following discontinuation of treatment. Glomerulonephritis has occurred in patients treated with TEGSEDI. Careful monitoring of UPCR and eGFR is important during treatment with TEGSEDI. The most common adverse reactions that occurred in at least 20% of TEGSEDI-treated patients and that occurred more frequently than on placebo were injection site erythema, nausea, fatigue, diarrhea, headache and injection site pain. For more important safety information for TEGSEDI, including method of administration, drug interactions and adverse drug reactions, please see the Health Canada approved product monograph at www.akceatx.ca . ABOUT HEREDITARY TRANSTHYRETIN (hATTR) AMYLOIDOSIS hATTR amyloidosis is a progressive, systemic and fatal inherited disease caused by the abnormal formation of the TTR protein and aggregation of TTR amyloid deposits in various tissues and organs throughout the body, including in peripheral nerves, heart, intestinal tract, eyes, kidneys, central nervous system, thyroid and bone marrow. The progressive accumulation of TTR amyloid deposits in these tissues and organs leads to sensory, motor and autonomic dysfunction often having debilitating effects on multiple aspects of a patient's life. Patients with hATTR amyloidosis often present with a mixed phenotype and experience overlapping symptoms of polyneuropathy and cardiomyopathy. Ultimately, hATTR amyloidosis results in death within three to fifteen years of symptom onset. Therapeutic options for the treatment of patients with hATTR amyloidosis are limited and, until this approval, there have been no disease-modifying drugs approved for the disease in Canada. There are an estimated 50,000 patients with hATTR amyloidosis worldwide. About Akcea Therapeutics Canada Akcea Therapeutics Canada, based in Ottawa Ontario, is the Canadian subsidiary of Akcea Therapeutics. Akcea is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious and rare diseases. Akcea Therapeutics Canada is a member of Innovative Medicines Canada, the industry association representing Canadas research-based pharmaceutical companies. ABOUT AKCEA THERAPEUTICS Akcea Therapeutics, Inc., an affiliate of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc., is a biopharmaceutical company focused on developing and commercializing drugs to treat patients with serious and rare diseases. Akcea is advancing a mature pipeline of six novel drugs all with the potential to treat multiple diseases. All six drugs were discovered by and are being co-developed with Ionis, a leader in antisense therapeutics, and are based on Ionis proprietary antisense technology. TEGSEDITM (inotersen) is approved in Canada and the E.U. for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis (hATTR) and is currently under regulatory review in the U.S. WAYLIVRATM (volanesorsen) is under regulatory review for the treatment of familial chylomicronemia syndrome, or FCS, and is currently in Phase 3 clinical development for the treatment of people with familial partial lipodystrophy, or FPL. Akcea is a global company headquartered in Boston, Massachusetts with Canadian operations headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario. Additional information about Akcea is available at www.akceatx.com . About Ionis Pharmaceuticals As the leader in RNA-targeted drug discovery and development, Ionis has created an efficient, broadly applicable, proprietary antisense technology platform with the potential to treat diseases where no other therapeutic approaches have proven effective. Our drug discovery platform has served as a springboard for actionable promise and realized hope for patients with unmet needs such as children and adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). We created SPINRAZA (nusinersen)* and are proud to have brought new hope to the SMA community by developing the first and only approved treatment for this disease. Our sights are set on all the patients we have yet to reach with a pipeline of more than 40 drugs with the potential to treat patients with cardiovascular disease, rare diseases, neurological diseases, infectious diseases and cancer. We created TEGSEDI (inotersen) the worlds first RNA-targeted therapeutic approved for the treatment of stage 1 or stage 2 polyneuropathy in adult patients with hereditary transthyretin (TTR) amyloidosis (ATTR) that our affiliate Akcea Therapeutics is commercializing. Together with Akcea, we are also bringing new medicines to patients with cardiometabolic lipid disorders. To learn more about Ionis follow us on twitter @ionispharma or visit http://ir.ionispharma.com/. *Spinraza is marketed by Biogen. AKCEAS AND IONIS FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENT This press release includes forward-looking statements regarding the business of Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. and Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. and the therapeutic and commercial potential of TEGSEDITM Any statement describing Akceas or Ionis goals, expectations, financial or other projections, intentions or beliefs, including the commercial potential of TEGSEDI or other of Akceas or Ionis drugs in development is a forward-looking statement and should be considered an at-risk statement. Such statements are subject to certain risks and uncertainties, particularly those inherent in the process of discovering, developing and commercializing drugs that are safe and effective for use as human therapeutics, and in the endeavor of building a business around such drugs. Akceas and Ionis forward-looking statements also involve assumptions that, if they never materialize or prove correct, could cause its results to differ materially from those expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements. Although Akceas and Ionis forward-looking statements reflect the good faith judgment of its management, these statements are based only on facts and factors currently known by Akcea and Ionis. As a result, you are cautioned not to rely on these forward-looking statements. These and other risks concerning Ionis and Akceas programs are described in additional detail in Ionis and Akceas quarterly reports on Form 10-Q and annual reports on Form 10-K, which are on file with the SEC. Copies of these and other documents are available from each company. In this press release, unless the context requires otherwise, Ionis, Akcea, Company, Companies we, our, and us refers to Ionis Pharmaceuticals and/or Akcea Therapeutics. Ionis Pharmaceuticals is a trademark of Ionis Pharmaceuticals, Inc. Akcea Therapeutics, TEGSEDITM and WAYLIVRATM are trademarks of Akcea Therapeutics, Inc. Akcea Investor & Media Contact: Kathleen Gallagher Vice President of Communications and Investor Relations 617-207-8509 kgallagher@akceatx.com Ionis Investor Contact: D. Wade Walke, Ph.D. Vice President, Investor Relations 760-603-2741 wwalke@ionisph.com Ionis Media Contact: Roslyn Patterson Vice President, Corporate Communications 760-603-2681 rpatterson@ionisph.com References 1TEGSEDI Product Monograph 2Benson et al., N Engl J Med 2018;379:22-31 An infographic accompanying this release is available at http://resource.globenewswire.com/Resource/Download/dcb498ad-f1ce-4650-bc4e-0f64e8aed1a5 By Toby Sterling AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte said his government would reconsider plans to scrap its dividend tax in a major political climbdown only hours after Unilever (ULVR.L) dropped plans to move its headquarters to the Netherlands. Rutte, who had argued that getting rid of the 15 percent withholding tax on dividends was vital for the country's business climate, said his government must reconsider its entire package of tax reforms. "We didn't decide to scrap the dividend tax for just one company, but the fact that such a large company that had decided to come to the Netherlands has withdrawn its plan is very relevant," he told reporters in The Hague. "That's why we will reconsider our proposed measures," added Rutte. Rutte's coalition holds a single-vote majority in both parliament and the senate. Despite some equivocation, no lawmaker has broken ranks over the issue. Rutte, who leads the liberal VVD party, is heading his third government since coming to power in 2010. Unilever, which along with fellow Anglo-Dutch company Royal Dutch Shell (RDSa.AS) has long lobbied against the tax, said earlier Friday it had suspended plans to consolidate a single headquarters in Rotterdam, Europe's largest port. The company said it was bowing to pressure from shareholders at its British arm, who were worried about leaving the FTSE index, weaker Dutch rules on shareholder rights, and about the future tax treatment of Dutch dividends. Rutte, who worked for Unilever from 1992-2002 before entering politics, had defended getting rid of the tax multiple times in front of a sceptical parliament. He survived a no-confidence vote in April after lobbying memos of which he said he had no memory emerged. One memo said Unilever considered the tax issue "decisive" in headquarter deliberations. Story continues But political opponents successfully branded the dividend plan as a costly tax break for foreigners. A poll published early last month said just 11 percent of Dutch voters supported getting rid of the tax. In a debate last month, Rutte warned keeping the tax could lead to Shell and Unilever abandoning their Dutch headquarters -- and a loss of jobs. "You could still opt to hold on to the tax, but theres a large risk that these companies would then decide to leave," he said. Unilever CEO Paul Polman, a Dutchman, said the unexpectedly strong Dutch opposition to Rutte's plan had indeed been "a factor" as it withdrew its plan to move to Rotterdam. (Reporting by Toby Sterling and Bart Meijer; Editing by Mark Heinrich and Keith Weir) Enbridge Inc. ENB recently decided to replace its 65-year old crude pipes of Line 5 under the Straits of Mackinac. The decision has been backed by the Michigan government. The company will install a multi-use utility tunnel that is to be drilled through the bedrock of the channel and decommission the old pipes. The cost of the project is estimated in the range of $350-$500 million. The project involves extensive engineering works and is expected to take 7-10 years for completion. Until then, around 23 million gallons of natural gas liquids and oil, which are used to make propane, will be transported through the lines daily. The cost of designing, building and maintaining the tunnel will be met by the company. This decision is in line with the recent demands from environmental activists, who were wary of the oil lines present state, fearing that it could lead to a potential spill. In April, the pipeline suffered damage from a ships anchor. Moreover, protective coating of the pipes is not intact at several places. Hence, the project further ensures safety of the pipeline as well as the water body. It will enable the company to deliver uninterrupted energy sources to the residents of the state. The independent state agency of Michigan, Mackinac Bridge Authority (which controls operations of the Mackinac Bridge across the Straits of Mackinac) will help Enbridge to receive necessary government permits for the project. Once the project is completed, the agency will own the tunnel and lease it to Enbridge for pipeline operations. Going forward, the agency may strike similar deals with providers of electric and telecommunication cables. Price Performance Calgary, Canada-based Enbridge has lost 18.2% in the past year compared with 11.4% collective fall of its industry. Zacks Rank and Stocks to Consider Currently, Enbridge has a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold). Investors interested in the oil and gas sector can opt for some better-ranked stocks like Petroleo Brasileiro S.A. PBR or Petrobras, Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. SHLX and CNX Resources Corporation CNX, each flaunting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of todays Zacks #1 Rank stocks here. Story continues Petrobras is the largest integrated energy firm in Brazil and one of the major players in Latin America. It pulled off an average positive earnings surprise of 10.4% in the last four quarters. Shell Midstream Partners is involved in owning, operating, developing and acquiring pipelines, and other midstream assets. The partnership delivered an average positive earnings surprise of 7.9% in the trailing four quarters. CNX Resources is an independent oil and gas exploration and production company. The company delivered a positive earnings surprise of 250.0% in the last reported quarter. Today's Stocks from Zacks' Hottest Strategies It's hard to believe, even for us at Zacks. But while the market gained +21.9% in 2017, our top stock-picking screens have returned +115.0%, +109.3%, +104.9%, +98.6%, and +67.1%. And this outperformance has not just been a recent phenomenon. Over the years it has been remarkably consistent. From 2000 - 2017, the composite yearly average gain for these strategies has beaten the market more than 19X over. Maybe even more remarkable is the fact that we're willing to share their latest stocks with you without cost or obligation. See Them Free>> Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Shell Midstream Partners, L.P. (SHLX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Petroleo Brasileiro S.A.- Petrobras (PBR) : Free Stock Analysis Report CNX Resources Corporation. (CNX) : Free Stock Analysis Report Enbridge Inc (ENB) : Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin are holding an annual summit in New Delhi. Modi's government has announced a $5 billion purchase of a Russian surface-to-air missile system. The deal is widely seen as Modi's way of offsetting Chinese activity in his country's backyard. India signed a $5 billion purchase of advanced missile technology from Russia on Friday, a deal seen as New Delhi's response to China's growing influence in the Indian Ocean . Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in New Delhi Thursday to meet Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi for an annual bilateral summit that's has focused on energy, security and defense issues. Of particular interest is India's purchase of the Russian-built S-400 Triumf, a long-range surface-to-air missile system capable of destroying both cruise and ballistic missiles. The order, which has been under discussion since 2015, was finalized on Friday afternoon according to several news agencies who cited both Indian and Russian officials. The deal is a signal that the Modi administration is "trying to take steps to counter China," said Richard Rossow, a senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, who specializes on U.S.-India relations. He believes that India wants high-end defense equipment for power projection in the Indian Ocean, where Beijing has been growing increasingly assertive. From Tanzania to Sri Lanka, the two Asian heavyweights have been competing to establish a stronger military and economic presence in countries along the massive waterway. Since China launched its first overseas military base in Djibouti last year, Modi's government has secured access to naval facilities in Indonesia , Iran , Oman and the Seychelles . "The S-400 range would enable India to track aircraft beyond its borders, making it a valuable asset as the People's Liberation Army Air Force extends its training and deployments closer to Indian territory," said Zoe Stanley Lockman, an associate research fellow specializing in defense at Singapore-based Nanyang Technological University. Story continues There are other reasons behind Modi's interest in the S-400 system. "China is certainly a motivating factor not only because of Chinese assertiveness in the Indian Ocean, but also because Beijing supplies about 70 percent of the weapons imported by Pakistan," said Lockman. "The S-400 Triumf is far superior to the Chinese-supplied Pakistani surface-to-air missile defense systems," Lockman said, adding that acquisition of the S-400 would be a way for India to counter Pakistan's advances in nuclear technology. New Delhi's concerns about close ties between China and Russia could also be a factor, according to Rajeswari Pillai Rajagopalan, head of the nuclear and space policy initiative at the Observer Research Foundation. The world's second largest economy was the first overseas buyer of Russia's S-400 and Su-35 fighter jet. Beijing also purchased numerous Russian submarines in recent years. Those purchases put India's security at some risk and illustrate an important shift in Russia-China security dynamics, Rajagopalan said in a Thursday note. "Beijing for a long time was not given access to the best and most modern Russian technology and there was no technology transfer," she pointed out. Risk of sanctions Analysts have warned that New Delhi runs the risk of getting hit with U.S. sanctions if it pushes ahead with the S-400 purchase. Countries doing business with Russia's defense and intelligence sectors could face the risk of automatic penalties under a U.S. law called Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) that President Donald Trump enacted last year. Last month, Washington imposed sanctions on China's military for purchasing Russian weapons. And on Thursday, U.S. Army General Joseph Votel criticized Russian deployment of the S-300 in Syria . India, however, could be exempted from punishment. "The ability to give waivers was widened by Congress, specifically with India in mind," Rossow said: "The Trump administration made a pitch on a number of occasions to (Capitol) Hill, trying to make sure there was a little bit more space to offer waivers to countries and India was often named in that." Asian security is a defining characteristic of the U.S.-India relationship, with New Delhi a major player in the U.S. Indo-Pacific initiative a program that aims to offset rising Chinese influence in the region. "Washington has been somewhat understanding because India over the last few years has diversified its defense procurement and reduced its dependency on Russia to some extent, which is one of the conditions for gaining a CAATSA waiver," said Rajagopalan. Also announced by the two countries is an agreement to develop six nuclear power plants in India. Putin and Modi have also agreed to cooperate on India's plan to launch a manned space mission. More From CNBC OSLO, Norway (AP) Raped after being forced into sexual slavery by the Islamic State group, Nadia Murad did not succumb to shame or despair the young Iraqi woman spoke out. Surgeon Denis Mukwege treated countless victims of sexual violence in war-torn Congo and told the world of their suffering. Together, they were awarded the Nobel Peace Prize on Friday for their campaigns to end rape and sexual abuse as weapons of war. The award "is partly to highlight the awareness of sexual violence. But the further purpose of this is that nations take responsibility, that communities take responsibility and that the international community take responsibility," said Berit Reiss-Andersen, chairwoman of the committee, which bestowed the $1.01-million prize. "Dear survivors from all over the world, I would like to tell you that, through this Nobel Prize, the world is listening to you and refusing indifference," Mukwege, 63, told a news conference outside the hospital he founded in Bukavu in eastern Congo, where he has treated tens of thousands of victims among them "women, teenage girls, small girls, babies," he said Friday. "The world refuses to remain idle with arms crossed facing your suffering. We hope that the world will not put off acting with force and determination in your favor because the survival of humanity depends on you," Mukwege said. Murad, 25, was one of an estimated 3,000 girls and women from Iraq's Yazidi minority group who were kidnapped in 2014 by IS militants and sold into sexual slavery. She was raped, beaten and tortured before managing to escape three months later. After getting treatment in Germany, she chose to speak to the world about the horrors faced by Yazidi women, regardless of the stigma in her culture surrounding rape. Story continues In 2016 she was named the United Nations' first Goodwill Ambassador for the Dignity of Survivors of Human Trafficking, and her advocacy helped spur a U.N. investigation that is collecting evidence of war crimes by Islamic State extremists. In a statement, Murad said she was "incredibly honored" by the prize. "As a survivor, I am grateful for this opportunity to draw international attention to the plight of the Yazidi people who have suffered unimaginable crimes since the genocide" by IS, she said. "Many Yazidis will look upon this prize and think of family members that were lost, are still unaccounted for, and of the 1,300 women and children, which remain in captivity." This year's peace prize comes amid heightened global attention to the sexual abuse of women in war, in the workplace and in society that has been highlighted by the #MeToo movement. "#MeToo and war crimes are not quite the same thing, but they do, however, have in common that it is important to see the suffering of women," said Reiss-Andersen of the Nobel committee. In the United States, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg also noted that the award comes amid a global reckoning over sexual violence. She tweeted a link to the Nobel announcement, saying "the timing of this topic is extraordinary as we fight for the end of #ViolenceAgainstWomen." Many of the women treated by Mukwege were victims of mass rape in the central African nation that has been wracked by conflict for decades. He faced great personal risk in doing so: Armed men tried to kill him in 2012, forcing him to temporarily leave the country. Solange Furaha Lwashiga, a Congolese women's activist, noted the surgeon's work repairing not only the physical damage but also the mental scars suffered by the victims, empowering them. "Dr. Mukwege brings smiles and helps repair women from the barbaric acts of men in Congo," she said. Mukwege was in surgery his second operation of the day when the peace prize announcement came, and he learned about it from patients and colleagues who were crying with joy. Mobile phone footage showed a smiling Mukwege jostled by dancing, ululating medical colleagues in scrubs in the hospital's courtyard. Eastern Congo has seen more than two decades of conflict among armed groups that either sought to unseat presidents or simply grab control of some the central African nation's vast mineral wealth. "The importance of Dr. Mukwege's enduring, dedicated and selfless efforts in this field cannot be overstated. He has repeatedly condemned impunity for mass rape and criticized the Congolese government and other countries for not doing enough to stop the use of sexual violence against women as a strategy and weapon of war," the Nobel committee said . Murad's book, "The Last Girl," tells of her captivity, the loss of her family and her eventual escape. The Yazidis are an ancient religious minority, falsely branded as devil-worshippers by Sunni Muslim extremists. IS, adopting a radical interpretation of ancient Islamic texts, declared that Yazidi women and even young girls could be taken as sex slaves. Iraqi President Bahram Saleh praised the award for Murad, saying on Twitter that it was an "honor for all Iraqis who fought terrorism and bigotry." Congo's government congratulated Mukwege, while acknowledging that relations with him have been strained because of his criticism of the government. In a statement, President Joseph Kabila's special representative said: "We are proud that the fight and initiatives led by (Democratic Republic of Congo) through Dr. Mukwege, for the re-establishment of the dignity and the respect of women is finally recognized internationally." In other Nobel prizes this year, the medicine prize went Monday to James Allison of the University of Texas and Tasuku Honjo of Kyoto University, whose discoveries helped cancer doctors fight many advanced-stage tumors and save an "untold" numbers of lives. Scientists from the United States, Canada and France shared the physics prize Tuesday for revolutionizing the use of lasers in research. On Wednesday, three researchers who "harnessed the power of evolution" to produce enzymes and antibodies that have led to a new best-selling drug won the Nobel Prize in chemistry. The winner of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences, honoring Alfred Nobel, the founder of the five Nobel Prizes, will be revealed on Monday. No Nobel literature prize was awarded this year due to a sex abuse scandal at the Swedish Academy, which chooses the winner. The academy plans to announce both the 2018 and the 2019 winners next year although the head of the Nobel Foundation has said the body must fix its tarnished reputation first. The man at the center of the Swedish Academy scandal, Jean-Claude Arnault, a major cultural figure in Sweden, was sentenced Monday to two years in prison for rape. ___ Heintz reported from Moscow and Petesch from Dakar, Senegal. Associated Press writers Cara Anna in Johannesburg, Dave Bryan in Cairo, Bassem Mroue in Beirut, David Keyton in Stockholm, Jennifer Peltz at the United Nations and Saleh Mwanamilongo in Kinshasa, Congo, contributed to this report. Seoul Blockchain A South Koran politician has committed a $53.39 million fund to develop blockchain regions in Seoul, local media reported. Park Won-soon, who is the mayor of the South Korean capital city, said their government would create two business complexes to settle 200 blockchain-related companies by 2021. The districts would also serve the purpose of training 730 experts in the field over the course of the next five years. Theres no doubt blockchain is the core technology of the fourth industrial revolution, which will shape the future IT industry. I will make efforts to help Seoul become the center of a blockchain industry ecosystem, Park said during his 10-day diplomatic visit to Switzerland, Estonia, and Spain. The minister also signed a memorandum of understanding in Zurich to lay the foundation of their blockchain tie-ups. Park, who has been a strong advocate of the digital ledger technology for public and government services, also visited Zug, Switzerlands crypto valley, with his 30-person delegation. He studied the citys business atmosphere and structure to understand the potential of his blockchain hub plans for Seoul, as he comes closer to launch a state-backed cryptocurrency, tentatively called S-Coin. Seoul has committed a 100 billion-won public-private fund almost $88.56 million to invest in local startups, research centers, and to train workers in the field of the blockchain. The citys efforts in digital ledger will focus on offering social services to citizens. S-Coin is a result of the governments plans to fund public welfare programs or compensate private contractors. A blockchain-based asset should enable the Seoul municipalities to put expenditure details in public. The city is planning to insert close to $12 million into the proposed fund. Samsung Partnership In 2017, the Seoul government, under the mayorship of Park, entered into a partnership with Samsung SDS to create a blockchain development framework for the city. The company later started testing its proprietary blockchain protocol, the NexLedger, with a purpose to integrate it into the Seouls entire municipal cooperations by 2022. Just recently, the Municipality of Seoul and Samsung SDS announced that would build the worlds first exports customs clearance on the top of the blockchain. They had already tested the solution on a Korea-China shipment a year ago. Story continues The South Koran government is also utilizing NexLedger in digital identity storage and verification, online payment solutions, and digital record storage systems. The local enterprises are also integrating the NexLedger range of solutions to innovate their IT solutions with blockchain. Featured image from Shutterstock. The post Seoul Mayor Announces $53.39 Million Fund for Blockchain Districts appeared first on CCN. As trade tensions escalate between the U.S. and China, Washington is sending a warning to U.S. companies: Think twice about doing business with China. If I were a business, I would basically just stay away from China right now. Their misbehavior is so terrible. Kevin Hassett, chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers said on Yahoo Finances Market Mover Friday. Thats why President Trump is taking a hard line with them. Theyve got to change the way they behave if they want to be part of this modern world global economy. Hassett also cited the bombshell story from Bloomberg Businessweek, which claims Chinas military deployed a microchip to attack hardware in the supply chain and had infiltrated U.S. tech giants like Amazon and Apple. Both companies have denied the report. But it still raised many concerns about Chinese electronic manufacturers. Hong Kong-listed Lenovo and ZTE saw share prices drop by 15% and 10%, respectively, on Friday. Hassetts sentiment was widely echoed by the Trump administration. In an aggressive speech about China on Thursday, Vice President Mike Pence claimed Beijing directed its bureaucrats and businesses to obtain American intellectual property. He also called out Google to end its project of developing a censored search engine for China, a market the internet giant exited in 2010. Not easy to give up on China Story continues The ongoing trade negotiation adds many uncertainties to U.S. companies that are planning to access the Chinese market, with its population of 1.3 billion and an expanding middle class. American companies have been active in the Chinese economy since the reform period in the late 1970s, investing hundreds of billions of dollars. President Trump has said the U.S. rebuilt China. Meanwhile, China has become the growth engine of some U.S. companies. Starbucks (SBUX) is among the biggest success stories. Since opening its first store in Beijing in 1999, the Seattle-based coffee chain now runs 3,400 stores and plans to open a new one every 15 hours through 2022. Apples premium iPhones are red-hot status symbols in China, where the iPhone maker (AAPL) reported $13 billion in revenue during its fiscal second quarter this year, contributing more than 20% to its global revenue. Now U.S. businesses are facing a more complicated situation against the backdrop of the trade disputes. Tesla (TSLA), the high-profile electric car maker, is caught in the rising geopolitical fight. The company said the trade conflict has led to a 40% retaliatory tariff on Tesla vehicles exported to China. Exports to the country accounted for about 20% of Teslas automotive revenue during 2017, according to Moodys. A pedestrian using a smartphone walks past a Tesla showroom in Beijing, China, on Saturday, July 7, 2018. (Giulia Marchi/Bloomberg) U.S. companies operating in China have already felt the pinch of the trade war, but its hard for them to walk away, citing difficulties moving a supply chain or creating a new one over a short period of time. More than 60% of U.S. companies have been hurt by tariffs imposed by both countries, according to a survey by American Chambers of Commerce in Beijing and Shanghai. We support President Trumps efforts to reset U.S.-China trade relations, address long-standing inequities and level the playing field. But we can do so through means other than blanket tariffs, Eric Zheng, chairman of AmCham Shanghai, said in a statement last month. Krystal Hu covers technology and economy for Yahoo Finance. Follow her on Twitter. Read more: El-Erian: Trump has a 75% chance of winning the trade war Why the $375 billion US-China trade deficit can be totally misleading How Chinas tariffs on soybeans fueled the US GDP bump Chinese stocks are more sensitive to non-energy commodity price volatility, contributing to the price decline in domestic share prices. China's major indexes have posted steep losses, with market volatility rising so far this year, but U.S. stocks are up and volatility in the American market is down. With the American markets on a tear and Chinese shares on a downturn, it appears that U.S. stocks are weathering the escalating trade war far better than China One reason for the trend is due to Chinese markets' exposure to non-energy commodities, according to a study published in August by Axioma, a risk and performance analytics provider. "The tariff spat caught China more exposed to changes in broad non-energy commodity prices, and the recent downturn in these commodities has weighed heavily on the Chinese market," said Diana R. Rudean, director of applied research at Axioma. Shifts in the commodity trade are early indicators of global economic health and trade flows and are especially pertinent in the ongoing trade dispute as China consumes much of the world's raw materials. Chinese indexes have posted steep losses, with market volatility rising so far this year, but U.S. stocks are up and volatility in the American market is down. "Indeed, the U.S. at least the U.S. equity market appears to have largely skirted the effects of the trade war," Rudean added in the report. As a comparison, the American Russell 1000 is up about 10 percent in 2018 while China's CSI 300 an index measuring 300 stocks on the Shanghai and Shenzhen exchanges is down about 15 percent in the same period. The Russell 1000 represents the top U.S. companies by market capitalization. In fact, the sensitivity of the Russell 1000 to the GSCI Non-Energy Index has been trending downward since 2010, indicating that changes in broad commodity prices had a declining impact on the U.S. market, wrote Rudean. In contrast, the CSI 300's sensitivity to commodities fluctuated, Axioma found. Story continues Non-energy commodity prices started falling after the trade war between the world's two largest economies heated up in June. The GSCI Non-Energy Index is down 4.5 percent so far this year. The U.S. market's declining sensitivity to non-energy commodities could be due to reasons such as deregulation, tax cuts and protectionist policies such as tariffs boosting investor sentiment in the U.S. market. Those factors "may have decoupled the moves of the market from the moves of the global non-energy commodities," Rudean told CNBC. "Also, as the U.S. market rose after November 2016, it may have moved towards stocks that are less sensitive to the commodity market. For example, technology stocks became a bigger part of the Russell 1000, and their lower sensitivity to commodities may have also drawn down the index sensitivity to commodities," she added. More From CNBC Afghan officials said at least four civilians were mistakenly killed when the Afghan Air Force carried out an air strike targeting Taliban militants in southern Afghanistan. Abdul Raziq, the police chief of Kandahar Province, said the Taliban had mounted an attack in the Maroof district when security forces responded with an airstrike late on October 4. Raziq said the militants "tried to flee and got mixed up with villagers at a wedding procession," leaving a child, three women, and 10 insurgents dead. Aziz Ahmad Azizi, the provincial governor's spokesman, said eight others, including a child and seven women, were wounded in the air strike. Taliban fighters often hide in civilian homes after staging attacks on government targets and use civilians as human shields to escape. Afghan officials said an investigation had been launched into the incident. According to the United Nations, at least 1,692 civilians have been killed in fighting in the first half of the year. Based on reporting by AP and Reuters Dear Ken: You mentioned that the disposer rubber splash guard needs to be replaced when it gets worn. Is this an easy job? John Answer: Im glad youre working on this. Yes, the splash guard keeps dirty water from spraying backwards up into the sink. More important, it is a vital safety device that can keep small pieces of bone, plastic and glass contained within the disposal body. The best indicator that you need a new one is visual. If you can see the blades sitting down there on the turntable, its time for a new guard. This task is for two people. You can buy a splash guard for your brand of disposer at any hardware store for $5 or so. To install it, you dont remove the disposer entirely. You simply lower it a few inches to lift off the old guard and snap on a new one. Heres how. Loosen the disposers horizontal waste pipe from the sink drain by unscrewing the flanged ring. Now from underneath, look at the top of the disposer where it joins the sink. Youll see a metal flange with some small rings in it. Insert a screwdriver into one of the metal rings and turn it counterclockwise a half turn or so. The disposer will then release and drop from the sink. One of you will have to hold it in place for a few seconds while the other makes the exchange. Then simply reverse the process to reinstall. Check for leaks before you close the sink cabinet. And note: The fittings on todays PVC (white plastic) pipes should only be snugged hand-tight. If you overdo it with a set of pliers, you could crack a fitting and cause a leak. Dear Ken: We have a 1973 house. Our basement concrete floor has developed a crack, and a white residue is around it. We wipe it up, but it reappears in a short time. Do we need to worry about this? Ron Answer: Its probably not a big deal, structurally speaking. But the residue, called efflorescence, is an indicator of other things. Moisture carries those alkali salts from the underlying soil and the concrete to the surface of your floor. Its sudden appearance means new water is under the slab. So you need to start checking for leaky pipes and other moisture sources, such as downspout and drainage issues. Make sure the downspouts dump 6 to 20 feet away from the foundation into a sloping area. And check the outside hose spigots to make sure they arent dripping. Dear Ken: Can you tell me about those foil radiant barriers that are supposed to add insulating value? Beth Answer: If you want savings on your heating bill, this is probably not the answer. In areas with a high cooling load, such as the Southeast, Arizona and Texas, some evidence shows that reflective foil, laid on top of the loose attic insulation, can save cooling dollars by reflecting high attic temperatures away from the living space. But here, the reverse is true, so they are of limited benefit. We cool only about three months a year along the Front Range, so saving heating dollars is the more important goal. A layer of foil will reflect away from the living space that precious, passive solar heat we gain in winter. Bottom line: The foil systems dont provide enough payback to justify their installation expense. Dear Ken: The labels on my set of plastic drawers wont come off. Any ideas? Ellie Answer: Manufacturers seem to always put price tags in the wrong place, such as on the front of a framed picture instead of the back, and they use glues that defy most chemicals. But Goo Gone is just the ticket for removing these stickers or even crayon, lipstick and most greasy residues. You can find the yellow, lemony-smelling liquid at most hardware stores and home centers. Its name is similar to another favorite of mine: Goof Off. Thats a petroleum-based solvent that reminds me of the lighter fluid my dad used in his Zippo. Its invaluable for dissolving paint resides and other stubborn material around the house and workbench. Dear Ken: Whats the best way to remove mineral scale build-up around faucets and showers? Steve Answer: If youve tried all the usual suspects Lime Away and CLR, for instance try steam. A friend of mine has a small portable steamer whose output from a tiny jetted nozzle will eat away even the toughest scaly build-ups and stains. I saw one on-line with several nozzle attachments for less than $40. Ken Moon is a home inspector in the Pikes Peak region. His radio show airs at 9 a.m. Saturdays on KRDO, FM 105.5 and AM 1240. Visit www.aroundthehouse.com. If you spot smoke on Fort Carson over the next month, it's probably a reason to smile. The 135,000-acre installation is conducting prescribed burns over the next several weeks to rid training areas of dry grass that has been tinder for wildfires over the past year. Fires now, carefully managed, will avoid disasters next year. The business and arts sectors can make promising bedfellows. More than 350 people came together Friday to celebrate that pairing at the 11th annual Business and Arts Lunch at The Antlers, A Wyndham Hotel. It coincided with Arts Month, an initiative started in 1993 by Americans for the Arts, a nonprofit organization that works to advance the arts across the country. This years event featured a paradigm shift. Instead of the usual ceremony that bestowed three awards for creative workspace, philanthropy and business leader, five organizations were celebrated for their collaborations and partnerships with the arts community: Progressive Insurance, Women in Reel Estate, Local Relic, Wells Fargo and Kaiser Permanente. The change came as event sponsors Cultural Office of the Pikes Peak Region and the Colorado Springs Chamber of Commerce and EDC noticed a shift in the landscape. The event committee received 18 nominations after a call was put out in July. Over the past few years our nominations have become much more diverse than the three award categories, said Angela Seals, COPPeRs deputy director. People are collaborating on projects that are mutually beneficial. We were interested in shifting from the emphasis on how business supports art, but looking at how they support each other, and they do so in many interesting ways. In keeping with its theme, lunch attendees were entertained by live music by The Sarah Groh Quartet, Out Loud Colorado Springs Mens Chorus, Urban Action Figure Ivan Manriquez and others in-between short videos by Pikes Peak Library District about each honoree. Progressive Insurance was recognized for its nationally known art collection. We collect art to spark thought, to spark even sometimes controversy, said Cristi Daugherty, a Progressive data analyst, to make sure we are looking a little deeper inside of ourselves than maybe just insurance. Women in Reel Estate, a group of women in the real estate profession, offered to sponsor Rocky Mountain Womens Film Institute. By pooling resources, we could provide more support to the institute, said Michelle Blessing of the real estate group, and get more benefit for us for our business, too. Being creative is something we should all be better at until our city grows. When Claire Swinford, urban engagement manager for Downtown Partnership of Colorado Springs, approached Jeff Zearfoss, owner of Local Relic brewery, about doing a special beer for the 20th anniversary of Art on the Streets, he suggested doing 10 beers instead. Each one bears a label with a photo of a sculpture from an Art on the Streets exhibit. Its a way to bring a higher level of consciousness to the general beer consumer and the general public, Zearfoss said. Wells Fargo senior financial adviser Herman Tiemens extolled the benefits of aligning his business with the arts. Every financial adviser on the team is on a nonprofit board that supports the arts. Artist Mike Fudge and folks at Kaiser Permanente worked together on the organizations Finding Your Words campaign to help alleviate the stigma of talking about mental health. The company now has three murals in Colorado, including Fudges giant We Are in This Together piece that adorns one side of the Cottonwood Center for the Arts. I would tell businesses and leaders in the community to really seek out opportunities to partner with our arts and creativity community, said Holly Kortum, executive director of operations for Kaiser. It was a fantastic partnership that created fabulous results for us. Contact the writer: 636-0270 WASHINGTON The bitterly polarized U.S. Senate narrowly confirmed Brett Kavanaugh on Saturday to join the Supreme Court, delivering an election-season triumph to President Donald Trump that could swing the court rightward for a generation after a battle that rubbed raw the country's cultural, gender and political divides. The near party-line vote was 50-48, capping a fight that seized the national conversation after claims emerged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted women three decades ago which he emphatically denied. Those claims magnified the clash from a routine Supreme Court struggle over judicial ideology into an angrier, more complex jumble of questions about victims' rights, the presumption of innocence and personal attacks on nominees. Acrimonious to the end, the battle featured a climactic roll call that was interrupted several times by protesters in the Senate Gallery before Capitol Police removed them. The vote gave Trump his second appointee to the court, tilting it further to the right and pleasing conservative voters who might have revolted against GOP leaders had Kavanaugh's nomination flopped. Democrats hope that the roll call, exactly a month from elections in which House and Senate control are in play, will prompt infuriated women and liberals to stream to the polls to oust Republicans. In final remarks just before the voting, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said a vote for Kavanaugh was "a vote to end this brief, dark chapter in the Senate's history and turn the page toward a brighter tomorrow." Democratic leader Chuck Schumer of New York looked ahead to November, appealing to voters beyond the Senate chamber: "Change must come from where change in America always begins: the ballot box." Rep. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, confronting a tough re-election race next month in a state that Trump won in 2016 by a landslide, was the sole Democrat to vote against Kavanaugh. Every voting Republican backed the 53-year-old conservative judge. Alaska's Lisa Murkowski, the only Republican to oppose the nominee, voted "present," offsetting the absence of Kavanaugh supporter Steve Daines of Montana, who was attending his daughter's wedding. That rare procedural maneuver left Kavanaugh with the same two-vote margin he'd have had if Murkowski and Daines had both voted. It was the closest roll call to confirm a justice since 1881, when Stanley Matthews was approved by 24-23, according to Senate records. Murkowski said Friday that Kavanaugh was "a good man" but his "appearance of impropriety has become unavoidable." Republicans hold only a 51-49 Senate majority and therefore had little support to spare. The outcome, telegraphed Friday when the final undeclared senators revealed their views, was devoid of the shocks that had come almost daily since Christine Blasey Ford said last month that an inebriated Kavanaugh tried to rape her at a 1982 high school get-together. Since then, the country watched agape at electric moments. These included the emergence of two other accusers; an unforgettable Senate Judiciary Committee hearing at which a composed Ford and a seething Kavanaugh told their diametrically opposed stories, and a truncated FBI investigation that the agency said showed no corroborating evidence and Democrats lambasted as a White House-shackled farce. All the while, crowds of demonstrators mostly Kavanaugh opponents ricocheted around the Capitol's grounds and hallways, raising tensions, chanting slogans, interrupting lawmakers' debates, confronting senators and often getting arrested. Trump weighed in Saturday morning on behalf of the man he nominated in July. "Big day for America!" he tweeted. Democrats said Kavanaugh would push the court too far, including possible sympathetic rulings for Trump should the president encounter legal problems from the special counsel's investigations into Russian connections with his 2016 presidential campaign. And they said Kavanaugh's record and fuming testimony at a now-famous Senate Judiciary Committee hearing showed he lacked the fairness, temperament and even honesty to become a justice. But the fight was defined by the sexual assault accusations. And it was fought against the backdrop of the #MeToo movement and Trump's unyielding support of his nominee and occasional mocking of Kavanaugh's accusers. About 100 anti-Kavanaugh protesters climbed the Capitol's East Steps as the vote approached, pumping fists and waving signs. U.S. Capitol Police began arresting some of them. Hundreds of other demonstrators watched from behind barricades. Protesters have roamed Capitol Hill corridors and grounds daily, chanting, "November is coming," ''Vote them out" and "We believe survivors." On Friday, in the moment that made clear Kavanaugh would prevail, Collins delivered a speech saying that Ford's Judiciary Committee telling of the alleged 1982 assault was "sincere, painful and compelling." But she also said the FBI had found no corroborating evidence from witnesses whose names Ford had provided. "We must always remember that it is when passions are most inflamed that fairness is most in jeopardy," said Collins, perhaps the chamber's most moderate Republican. Manchin used an emailed statement to announce his support for Kavanaugh moments after Collins finished talking. Manchin, the only Democrat supporting the nominee, faces a competitive re-election race next month in a state Trump carried in 2016 by 42 percentage points. Manchin expressed empathy for sexual assault victims. But he said that after factoring in the FBI report, "I have found Judge Kavanaugh to be a qualified jurist who will follow the Constitution." Sen. Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., who has repeatedly battled with Trump and will retire in January, said he, too, planned to vote for Kavanaugh's confirmation. Vice President Mike Pence planned to be available in case his tie-breaking vote was needed. In the procedural vote Friday that handed Republicans their crucial initial victory, senators voted 51-49 to limit debate, defeating Democratic efforts to scuttle the nomination with endless delays. When Trump nominated Kavanaugh in July, Democrats leapt to oppose him, saying that past statements and opinions showed he'd be a threat to the Roe v. Wade case that assured the right to abortion. They said he also seemed too ready to rule for Trump in a possible federal court case against the president. Yet Kavanaugh's path to confirmation seemed unfettered until Ford and two other women emerged with sexual misconduct allegations from the 1980s. Kavanaugh would replace the retired Justice Anthony Kennedy, who was a swing vote on issues such as abortion, campaign finance and same-sex marriage. ___ Associated Press writers Mary Clare Jalonick, Matthew Daly, Padmananda Rama, Ken Thomas and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report. KUSA The Boulder woman who accused Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct has released a statement hours before the Senate could vote on confirming the controversial judge. Deborah Ramirez has claimed Kavanaugh exposed himself to her and shoved his penis in her face at a dorm party while they were students at Yale University. Kavanaugh has denied those allegations and others that have been lodged against him. On Saturday morning, Ramirezs lawyer John Clune released this statement on her behalf: Thirty-five years ago, the other students in the room chose to laugh and look the other way as sexual violence was perpetrated on me by Brett Kavanaugh. As I watch many of the Senators speak and vote on the floor of the Senate I feel like I'm right back at Yale where half the room is laughing and looking the other way. Only this time, instead of drunk college kids, it is US Senators who are deliberately ignoring his behavior. This is how victims are isolated and silenced. But I do have corroborating witnesses speaking for me, although they were not allowed to speak to the FBI, and I feel extremely grateful for them and for the overwhelming amount of support that I have received and continue to receive during this extremely difficult and painful time. There may be people with power who are looking the other way, but there are millions more who are standing together, speaking up about personal experiences of sexual violence and taking action to support survivors. This is truly a collective moment of survivors and allies standing together. Thank you for hearing me, seeing me and believing me. I am grateful for each and every one of you. We will not be silenced. We stand in truth and light, Debbie Ramirez" Small retail projects are becoming a big part of Colorado Springs shopping scene. At prominent intersections and along some high-profile corridors, developers have opted against large-scale shopping centers anchored by department stores, groceries and other big boxes and instead are thinking small. Big-box anchored projects remain popular with shoppers and arent going away. Among the areas more recent large-scale developments, a King Soopers shopping center opened a year ago at Constitution Avenue and Marksheffel Road on the Springs east edge, and a Walmart Supercenter and Sams Club in Fountain debuted in 2015. Likewise, smaller strip centers always have been part of the retail landscape, lining Academy Boulevard, Fillmore Street, Austin Bluffs Parkway and other major Colorado Springs roadways. But as large national retailers shutter brick-and-mortar stores and even go out of business, small projects that dont rely on big-box anchors are becoming popular alternatives for developers and consumers. And because small retail projects are being developed near fast-growing neighborhoods, they typically include restaurants and service providers tax preparers, fitness facilities, physical therapy centers and the like that appeal to homeowners and families who are just a walk or bike ride away. A lot of these smaller retailers are finding they want to be very visible to an existing neighborhood and traffic and very convenient to that, said John Winsor, a commercial broker with Olive Real Estate Group. If people are going home or going to work, its an easy stop, its an easy decision to go in and out. Winsor co-developed the already opened Dublin Commons II and the still-under-construction Dublin Commons III. They followed the first Dublin Commons building, which was developed by a separate group; the three projects are southeast of Powers and Dublin boulevards on the Springs northeast side. Combined, the three buildings are smaller than a single Safeway grocery. Still, they have a variety of fast-casual and sit-down restaurants to go with services such as a beauty salon, massage therapy and Pilates. A mix of offerings in small retail buildings is especially attractive to homeowners who want to avoid the hassle of driving to large commercial centers, said John Egan, a broker with NAI Highland in the Springs. Hes also developing Dublin Heights Plaza, a 10,000-square-foot, multitenant building under construction at Dublin and Marksheffel Road. His project is full, and if he had another 6,000 square feet, he could fill it, Egan said. Were going back to the neighborhood, Egan said. Instead of going to this big central mall, were coming back to these little, almost, suburbs or these little boroughs, in a way. Which I think is cool. Nothing Bundt Cakes is a specialty bakery thats enjoyed strong sales since it opened five years ago in University Village Colorado, said Alyssa Cihak Lopez, who owns the local franchise with her parents, Rick and Regina Cihak. University Village is a sprawling, 650,000-square-foot retail center on North Nevada Avenue, where anchors Lowes Home Improvement Warehouse, Kohls and Costco Wholesale Club help drive customer traffic. Nothing Bundt Cakes is in a stand-alone building at University Village and the storefront is hard to miss, Cihak Lopez said. Yet shes heard from customers whove been to University Village multiple times and didnt know her store was there, she said. When Nothing Bundt Cakes owners opened a second location a year ago on the northeast side, they bypassed the King Soopers-anchored Ridgeview Marketplace and First & Main Town Center, where big boxes include J.C. Penney and SuperTarget. Instead, Nothing Bundt Cakes chose a storefront at Dublin Commons II. The building is highly visible, Cihak Lopez said; it faces Powers Boulevard and can be seen easily by the thousands of cars that pass by daily. Its tenants include restaurants Over Easy, Salsa Brava and Mod Pizza, who attract diners that come by Nothing Bundt Cake for dessert, she said. Sales at the two Nothing Bundt Cake locations have been comparable, but customer demographics are somewhat different, Cihak Lopez said. The University Village location gets plenty of attention from business people who might come to the regional center and its dozens of stores and restaurants on their lunch hour, she said. But the Dublin Commons II store draws many customers who come from nearby neighborhoods that line the Powers corridor, and they buy items for birthday parties, family gatherings and other special events. At the Dublin Commons location its not uncommon to see people walking over from the neighborhood just east of us, because its a bike ride or a stones throw away, especially during the summer, Cihak Lopez said. People are just on foot versus kind of trying to fight parking or something like that. At the same time, the dining and service choices at small retail buildings are popular because they cant be purchased online, Winsor said. A lot of these smaller strip centers are internet competitive, he said. Youre seeing more restaurant types of uses, which they cant get on the internet. Youre getting exercise facilities. Youre seeing those kinds of services that benefit both from heavy traffic thats driving by day to day, as well as that immediate neighborhood. While smaller centers dont have big-box or even junior- box stores, they still might have people generators that take the place of traditional anchors, said Mark Useman of brokerage Colorado Springs Commercial. He markets the InterQuest Commons retail development southwest of InterQuest and Voyager parkways on the Springs far north side. Apartment complexes feed customers to smaller retail projects, Useman said. And at InterQuest Commons, three hotels are planned that will generate customers for the restaurants, stores and service providers in the projects smaller multitenant and free-standing buildings, he said. They serve kind of as a minianchor, in the sense they bring people in all the time, Useman said of the hotels. Those people need services and they need food. And so, the retailers like hotels, which is what youre seeing. Youre seeing high density and multifamily and hotels taking the place of some of the traditional retail anchor activity. Despite rocky times for retailers, traditional shopping center anchors havent disappeared. We will see them again, Useman said. We still have to have grocery stores, right? People can buy some stuff online, but most people go physically to a grocery store. But theres not a big need yet in certain areas of Colorado Springs to place new grocery stores. And with competition from Amazon and other online retailers, and after taking financial hits during the Great Recession, fewer department and discount store retailers are looking to add buildings with large footprints, said Springs real estate developer John Gatto. He recently opened a Best Western Plus Fillmore Inn west of Interstate 25 and Fillmore Street as part of his small retail project at the site. There are only so many locations for those anchors, Gatto said. Theyre more regionally driven, so that they serve a larger, geographical area. Whereas, the smaller retail buildings, as the neighborhoods grow, they serve the immediate needs of those neighborhoods. Large retailers also have shifted strategies, Egan said. They dont necessarily build stores near their rivals just to compete, and they hesitate to overbuild in a market that leads to one of their stores cannibalizing another, he said. Thats the change the tenants themselves saying, I dont know if I want to go in and split our market anymore when its already been split, Egan said. Thats why I dont see a lot these large-box developments happening anymore like they did in the early 2000s. An 18-year-old Pine Creek High School student was arrested at school Tuesday on suspicion of sexual assault, unlawful sexual contact and harassment of male and female classmates. Colorado Springs police have declined to identify the suspect, but Ryan Maikell, 18, was booked into El Paso County jail on suspicion of sexual assault and harassment, sheriff's spokeswoman Jacqueline Kirby said. He is being held without bond, according to jail records. Police had been investigating the Pine Creek senior since the end of February, when Pine Creek Theater Director Carrie Barnhardt-Roberson was accused of having an inappropriate relationship with Maikell. Washington, Oct. 05, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- During the 2019 Days of Remembrance, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum will confer its highest honor, the Elie Wiesel Award, to Serge and Beate Klarsfeld and the Syria Civil Defense, commonly known as The White Helmets. Given the urgency of a world where Holocaust denial and antisemitism are on the rise and where the situation in Syria remains dire, the Museum has decided to make an exception and grant two Elie Wiesel Awards next year. The awards will be presented at the Museums annual Tribute Dinner on April 29, 2019. Established in 2011, the Elie Wiesel award recognizes internationally prominent individuals whose actions have advanced the Museums world of a vision where people confront hate, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Elie Wiesel, the Museums founding chairman, was the first recipient of the award. Engraved on the award are words from Wiesels Nobel Prize acceptance speech, One person of integrity can make a difference. Elie Wiesel said indifference always benefits the aggressor never his victim, said Museum Chairman Howard Lorber. After World War II, when many in Europe wanted to avoid discussing their culpability during the Holocaust, the Klarsfelds refused to remain silent and sought to bring Nazi perpetrators to justice. Today, as the Assad regime ruthlessly targets its own citizens, the White Helmets risk their lives to save their fellow citizens. The courageous actions of all the honorees are the embodiment of Elies warning about the perils of indifference. Serge and Beate Klarsfeld have demonstrated extraordinary leadership in the cause of Holocaust remembrance and singular leadership in combatting the impunity of perpetrators of the Holocaust era and advancing Holocaust memory and education. Serge played a key role in the prosecution of high ranking Nazi officials and French collaborators including Klaus Barbie, Rene Bousquet, Jean Leguay, Maurice Papon, and Paul Touvier. Beate Klarsfeld boldly confronted former Nazis serving in the West German government, and Serge Klarsfeld conducted path breaking research on child deportees and the Holocaust in France and Romania, including documenting the stories of thousands of French Jews sent to the gas chambers. The Klarsfelds have aggressively campaigned against antisemitism in Europe and the Middle East, and to confront massacres elsewhere, such as Sarajevo and Burundi. At enormous risk to themselves and their families and in the face of horrific attacks by the Syrian government, the White Helmets have courageously saved lives and delivered critical services to a desperate population. The White Helmets is a volunteer organization comprised of people from all backgrounds bankers, tailors, engineers, pharmacists, painters, carpenters, students, and many more that operates in parts of Syria and Turkey. They conduct search and rescue operations in response to bombing and gas attacks, medical and other evacuations, and essential service delivery including reconnecting electrical cables, providing safety information to children, securing buildings and more. They are the largest civil society organization operating in areas outside of government control. The volunteers save people on all sides of the conflict. Their motto is To save one life is to save all of humanity. To date, 204 members of the White Helmets have been killed while saving more than 114,000 lives. A living memorial to the Holocaust, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum inspires citizens and leaders worldwide to confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity. Its far-reaching educational programs and global impact are made possible by generous donors. For more information, visit ushmm.org. ### souvik101990 wrote: Company policy : An employee of our company must be impartial, particularly when dealing with family matters. This obligation extends to all aspects of the job, including hiring and firing practices and the quality of service the employee provides customers. Which one of the following employee behaviors most clearly violates the company policy cited above? (A) Refusing to hire any of ones five siblings, even though they are each more qualified than any other applicant (B) Receiving over 100 complaints about the service ones office provides and sending a complimentary product to all those who complain, including ones mother (C) Never firing a family member, even though three of ones siblings work under ones supervision and authority (D) Repeatedly refusing to advance an employee, claiming that he has sometimes skipped work and that his work has been sloppy, even though no such instances have occurred for over two years (E) Promoting a family member over another employee in the company Please make sure to post a brief reply without revealing your solution to enter the contest! Day 16 Question of the Verbal Contest: Race Against the GMAT Club Timer Please make sure to post a brief reply without revealing your solution to enter the contest! : An employee of our company must be impartial, particularly when dealing with family matters. This obligation extends to all aspects of the job, including hiring and firing practices and the quality of service the employee provides customers.Which one of the following employee behaviors most clearly violates the company policy cited above?(A) Refusing to hire any of ones five siblings, even though they are each more qualified than any other applicant(B) Receiving over 100 complaints about the service ones office provides and sending a complimentary product to all those who complain, including ones mother(C) Never firing a family member, even though three of ones siblings work under ones supervision and authority(D) Repeatedly refusing to advance an employee, claiming that he has sometimes skipped work and that his work has been sloppy, even though no such instances have occurred for over two years(E) Promoting a family member over another employee in the company to put the argument in brief:company employee must be impartial toward jobs in firing or promoting or customer services--> find which one partial, or say, violate the given policy ...(A) refuse to hire someone more qualified for the job, since its his own siblings, just this sounds having bias toward one group of people this choice perfectly involves "comparing the competency" of two groups of people, and it could also be a partial example in that the more competent group is his own relatives but you don't hire them since they have blood relationship with you(B) if he is willing to listen to complaints from all people except his mother, then this will be partial, and also vice versa, thus this must be an impartial one(C)trap choice, never firing a family member sounds a bit of nepotism as well as partial, however compare (C) to (A), we dont know, in reality, whether the family member is worth firing or not or how its competency is.(D)just that its no family matter or firing or hiring involved in this statement, or break down in another way--as we know from statement in (D) that "over these two years" there indeed has bias occur, however beside these two years maybe bias occur-then (D) in this situation would be correct- or maybe no bias no violation to the policy occur, so its just too ambiguous to determine whether (D) violate the given policy or not(E)this choice same as (C), though at first sight seems partial in that it promote a family member, however if compare to (A) we dont know whether the family member is worth promotion or not aragonn wrote: Disturbed by growing obesity levels among citizens, the Mayor of Vargonia donated cookware and kitchen appliances to schools and colleges in the county that offered cooking classes. He wanted to promote better eating habits by encouraging people to cook their own food at home. Quite a few citizens of Vargonia have decided to vote for the Mayor in the upcoming elections. Which of the following inferences is best supported by the passage given above? (A) Eating home-cooked food is the simplest way to combat obesity. (B) Schools and colleges that offer cooking classes were affected by a lack of cookware and kitchen appliances. (C) Making donations is the best way to garner political support. (D) Actions that benefit others sometimes have positive consequences for those who perform them. (E) The primary driver of citizens voting decisions is the donations that election candidates make to public causes. source - M did something that he thought would improve obesity. Some people voted for him in election SIMPLEST is too extreme. Nowhere the para talks of best way of reducing obesity. Rather M feels it is a way There is no mention of lack of funds. It is just that M helps them this way. BEST is again too extreme Now this starts with SOMETIMES so it makes a very subtle connection between two and is correct again PRIMARY is extreme Few points..1) whatever M did was in his view a good way to tackle a problem.2) there is no clearcut relation in two - he being voted because of his work - MEANS it is not a must relationship.3) we can take two - doing good and being rewarded for it- to be just slightly connectedLet's see the choices..(A) Eating home-cooked food is the simplest way to combat obesity.(B) Schools and colleges that offer cooking classes were affected by a lack of cookware and kitchen appliances.(C) Making donations is the best way to garner political support.(D) Actions that benefit others sometimes have positive consequences for those who perform them.(E) The primary driver of citizens voting decisions is the donations that election candidates make to public causes._________________ vmdce129907 wrote: Modern warfare does not revolve around the usage of standard weapons and armaments only.Recently China held India hostage, when an artificial lake was formed in a region in Tibet under the control of the Chinese, and the overflow of the lake or a leakage in the dam could overflow the Sutlej and hence flood the entire Sutlej basin in India. China refused permission to Indian specialists to inspect the lake, and held the country ransom to a water bomb. Again, the US is arm-twisting India to support US on major issues like Iraq and terrorism, in return for supporting Indias demand for a UNSC seat. These are symptoms of war, albeit of a different kind. Which of the following would qualify as war, according to the definition of war described above ? A. The refusal of the Taliban government in Afghanistan to permit Indian forces to free hostages by use of force, of an Indian plane hijacked in India and taken to Afghanistan. B. The refusal of a groom to marry just before the marriage ritual if the bride's family did not provide him a Maruti 800 car in dowry. C. The US slapping high duties on Chinese exports to USA, in retaliation to rising trade deficit of USA with China, and the Chinese refusal to devalue its currency to set into order the imbalance in trade. D. A strike called by farmers in the rest of Maharashtra to protest against the decision of the government to cut power in the rest of the state to provide uninterrupted power to the capital Mumbai, when the power was actually generated outside Mumbai. E. None of these This is not a GMAT like question.Hence locking this topic. For All U of U Health Patients & Visitors Assyrians Walk Across Golden Gate Bridge for Genocide Awareness Assyrians walk across Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco to raise awareness of Assyrian genocides. ( AINA) San Francisco (AINA) -- The Assyrian people in Iraq, Turkey, Syria, and Iran have been subjected to systematic ethnic cleansing for over a century. The biggest human losses suffered by the Assyrian nation happened between the years 1915 and 1933 -- this period of atrocities and oppression against the Assyrian people is commemorated every year on August 7th, and is known as Assyrian Martyrs' Day. Turkey killed 750,000 Assyrians between 1915 and 1918, as well as one million Greeks and 1.5 million Armenians. It was a genocide against Christians. Between August 7 and 11, 1933, the Iraqi military massacred more than 3,000 Assyrians in Simmele and many other villages in Iraq. Assyrians were indiscriminately slaughtered on that day. Furthermore, many Assyrian families lost their homes and were forced into exile. Modern Turkey and Iraq have been found guilty of the Assyrian genocide and both governments have failed to acknowledge their crimes. As the two governments continue deny their actions and they campaign to erase the Assyrian Genocide from history, the Assyrian people around the world fight on and demand for justice. The Assyrian Genocide and Research Center, in conjunction with Assyrian Associations in California, held a walk across Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco to raise awareness about the Assyrian genocides. ( AINA) Hundreds of Assyrians gathered participated in the walk, waving Assyrian flags holding banners written in both Assyrian and English. The demonstrators demanded recognition of the Turkish genocide of Assyrians during World War One and the Simmele Massacre of 1933. Emmanuel Homer Younan welcomed all participants on behalf of the Assyrian Genocide and Research Center and thanked the Assyrian American Association of San Jose, Assyrian American Civic Club of Turlock, Assyrian American Association of Modesto, the Assyrian National Council of Stanislaus County and American Mesopotamian Organization for their cooperation and endorsement of the walk. ( AINA) Thirteen-year-old Tiamet Lazar spoke on the genocide, saying "We are the voice of the Assyrians throughout the world, we are the future of Assyria. I assure you that my generation, for as long as it's alive, will not let the Assyrian cause rest. Our Martyrs will not be forgotten." After her speech, Larissa Petrosspour was invited to give her speech on behalf the Assyrian Genocide and Research Center. Petrosspour stated that 'hundreds of thousands of lives were stolen in 1843, 1894-1896, 1909, 1915 by Ottoman Turks, and in 1933 by Iraqi army and most recently by ISIS in 2014 to this day in Iraq and Syria. These are all dark pages in our history and we carry these atrocities with us as our identity." Petrosspour concluded by saying "It is a big mistake to think that what happened in 2014, 1933, and 1915 lies in the past and should be forgotten. History is not about oblivion. It is about knowledge. It is about education. It is about the future. And, we will hold our future in our hands. We will continue to seek justice for the Assyrian people." Adam Liddle of Arygle, N.Y., was named the 77th winner of the Klussendorf Award, the highest recognition given to a dairy cattle showman in the United States during the 52nd World Dairy Expo. Liddle is a self-made man who worked hard to learn from others and eventually built up enough equity to rent, and then buy, his own dairy farm. Throughout that journey, he eventually started an eight-year run in which he either bred or owned an All-American nominee each and every year. The award is given in memory of Arthur B. Klussendorf, considered an outstanding showman of his time and a model for all those who have followed him. This years selection was made by members of the Klussendorf Memorial Association, formed in 1937, at its annual meeting held earlier this week in Madison, Wis. Liddle received the silver trophy designed by Tiffany Jewelers of New York City. This years winner learned early on the value of great cow families when he spent his teenage years working with family at Pamtom Farm in Hudson Falls, N .Y. During that time span, the farm garnered two Premier Exhibitor banners at World Dairy Expo. From that foundation, Liddle went on to work for Ridgedale Farm in Sharon Springs, N.Y., where he had the opportunity to work with great cows and gained an even deeper appreciation for deep cow families. By 1999, this years Klussendorf winner branched out on his own with a rented facility that he and his wife purchased just three years later. Within the next decade, Liddle developed an impressive herd. His diligence not only earned him the New York Holstein Associations Outstanding Young Breeder Award in 2007, it also led to a highly successful sale the very next year. That Liddleholme Farm dispersal averaged $7,573 on 179 lots for a total gross of $1.2 million. Award nominators Wayne Conard and Steve Briggs state, It will go down in history as one of the greatest herd sales in New York state history. Cattle were sold to 17 states and two Canadian provinces. Liddle also has a distinguished judging career that has taken him to Europe, Africa, Australia, and throughout North America. At World Dairy Expo, he has judged the Guernsey, Junior Holstein, Holstein, and Red and White shows over the past decade. Adam and his wife, Nicole, have three children Anthony, Brock, and Hailee. Kyle Barton of Copake, New York was named the 15th Merle Howard Award winner at World Dairy Expo on Saturday, October 6. Barton would be the first to thank his grandfather, Ken Main and his grandfathers business partner, Peter Vail, for an incredible opportunity to own and show some of the best Brown Swiss in the world. With that said, Barton also seized the opportunity by working on the grass roots level by handling all show-string tasks including washing, clipping, and working with all the farms cattle. In a previous interview at World Dairy Expo, this New York native was quoted as saying, My grandfather and his business partner have been great mentors, teaching me a great work ethic, and a lot more about show cattle and what to look for. Tim Coon, has been a terrific mentor, too, teaching me about how to care for and prepare show cows. There is no one better. The 15th Merle Howard award winner got his start as a six-year-old boy when his grandfather bought him a Jersey calf. From that point, he was hooked. And since that launch pad, he has been soaking everything in about all things dairy. Up until this year, Bartons favorite World Dairy Expo memory would have been when his Brown Swiss cow was named Reserve Supreme Champion of the Junior Show two years ago. That all changed all changed Thursday when his homebred cow, Cutting Edge T Delilah won both the Junior and Open Shows of the 2018 International Brown Swiss Show. That cow will compete for Supreme Champion in both the Junior and Open divisions at the close of the 2018 World Dairy Expo. Respected among his peers, past Merle Howard award winner, Kelly Reynolds had this to say about Barton, Kyle always takes time to hello to fellow exhibitors. He is a humble showman and has graciously won with Delilah all fall. In addition, Kyle can be found doing numerous tasks in the Elite Cattle show string . . . from washing to clipping to bedding to bagging. There is no task he wont take on. Duncan MacKenzie winner Barrie Potter, who won that award in 1998 adds, Kyle has a very calm demeanor around cows. Hes also a young man who works hard and has a work ethic that mirrors grandfathers generation. Hes just such a pleasure to be around. He simply wants to watch the show string and provide the best quality cattle care, added 2015 Duncan MacKenzie winner Tim Coon. Barton is the son of Donna and Michael Barton, both of New York. All of the previous award winners of the Merle Howard Award were on hand for the award presentation. They include: 2004, Robert Teixeira, Turlock, Calif.; 2005, Matthew Mitchell, Lafollette, Tenn.; 2006, Greta Koebel, Three Oaks, Mich.; 2007, Brandon Ferry, Hilbert, Wis.; 2008, Kelly Lee Reynolds, Corfu, N.Y.; 2009 Kyle Natzke, Fond du Lac, Wis.; 2010 Stephanie Aves, Popular Grove, Ill.; 2011 Karen Anderson Johnson, Willmar, Minn.; 2012 Cy Conard, Sharon Springs, N.Y.; 2013, Cassy Krull, Lake Mills, Wis.; 2014, Jade Jensen Kruschke, New Richmond, Wis.; 2015, Jared Dueppengiesser, Perry, New York; 2016, Doug Boop, Millmont, Pa., and Dawson Nickels, Watertown, Wis. Merle Howard was a respected dairy industry pioneer. Winner of the 1954 Klussendorf Award, Howard was a herd manager, Holstein classifier and later a sales and export businessman. Serving on the first National Dairy Shrine Board, he became one of only eleven people to receive the 4-E Award for outstanding service. As judge Blair Weeks made his much anticipated final Red and White Champion selection of the day, the crowd rhythmically clapped along to Here we go as he circled the six contenders. After evaluating 268 head, he high fived Oakfield A Shampagne-Red-ETs leadsperson as his Grand Champion selection. Earlier in the day, this Mr Apples Armani-ET daughter was also awarded Intermediate Champion, as well as Best Udder of Show after topping the Junior Three-Year-Old class for Westcoast Holsteins of Chilliwack, British Columbia, Canada. Reserve Grand Champion honors went to Highcroft Absolute Lily-Red. She was the winning 4-year-old cow and was exhibited by Maple-Downs Farm II and Thomas Hoskings, Jr. of Middleburgh, N.Y. Lily had been tapped as Senior Champion just moments before. Best Bred and Owned of Show went to Westcoast Defiant Addison-Red. She was the winning Senior Three-Year-Old. In the Junior Show, Grand Champion honors went to Robin-Hood Pretty In-Red. This 4-year-old was exhibited by Regan Demmer of Peosta, Iowa. Ms AOL Diamondback Rasberry-Red-ET was Intermediate and Reserve Grand Champion for Jaydn, Kennedy, Caroline, and Andrew Kimball of Windham, Maine. The youth exhibitors took the lead in the heifer show, claiming champion honors in both the Junior and Open Shows. Junior Champion was the Fall Calf, Ms Kress-Hil Saphire-Red-ET. Saphire is owned by Owen and Kendyll Kress and Savanah Barts, Newton, Wis. Mason, Carter, and Evan Jauquet, along with Carmen and Spencer Haack of Pulaski, Wis., earned Reserve honors with Synergy Jordys Spike-Red-ET, who was also from the strong Fall Calf Class of 40 entries. The Nasco Type and Production Winner was Hilrose Advent Anna-Red-ET. She was also recently named Wisconsins Cow of the Year for Joseph Brantmeier of Sherwood, Wis. Premier Breeder went to Oakfield Corners of Oakfield, N.Y., on the strength of the Grand Champion Cow. They also were Premier Breeder and Premier Exhibitor of the heifer classes. Westcoast Holsteins owned the Grand Champion, and they took the Premier Exhibitor banner. Apples Absolute-Red-ET was named Premier Sire. Nearly all of the champions in the show trace to KHW Regiment Apple-Red-ET either through her daughters, her clones, or her sons and grandsons. So, if there was a Premier honor on the maternal side, Apple would have taken that prize. The author is the online media manager and is responsible for the website, webinars, and social media. A graduate of Modesto Junior College and Fresno State, she was raised on a California dairy and frequently blogs on youth programs and consumer issues. 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. 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 Ministers Learn about the ministers of the Health portfolio, including who they are, what they are responsible for and what they do. Thank you for reading! Please log in, or sign up for a new account and purchase a subscription to continue reading. The report indicates that it is not presently known whether a detailed plan was formulated or put into practice, but the story is indicative of some of the challenges that the US might face from major global adversaries as it works to economically and diplomatically isolate the Islamic Republic of Iran. But at the same time, federal prosecutors revelation of that plot underscores the notion that the US will be diligent in identifying and obstructing instances of illegal behavior that strives to alleviate pressure on the Iranian regime. On the same day that the New York Times reported upon the plot by CEFC executive Patrick Ho, another Chinese business returned to the headlines after a federal judge ruled that ZTE Corp had violated the terms of its probation and would not remain under monitoring for an additional two years, until 2022. As Reuters notes, the original judgement against ZTE related to its illegal shipment of goods to Iran in defiance of US sanctions that were in place at the time. Vigorous enforcement of past sanctions is arguably of particular importance under present conditions, as the Islamic Republic is bracing for the re-imposition of banking sanctions and secondary sanctions on the Iranian oil trade that were suspended under the 2015 Iran nuclear deal. US President Donald Trump pulled out of that deal in May, and the first round of sanctions returned to force in August, prompting further declines in the value of Irans national currency, as well as further economic protests among the Iranian population. These sorts of developments have been highlighted by multiple Trump administration officials who insist that economic pressure is already having the desired effect, even before full-scale re-implementation and even in the presence of defiant attitudes among many European governments and some Asian businesses. The European Union has gone so far as to announce its intention to form a special purpose vehicle for sanctioned transactions between Iran and European companies, but details of the project were sparse and it has so far had little impact on the exodus of European companies from the Iranian market. The Financial Times elaborated upon this situation on Thursday, noting that major oil companies were spurning the EUs attempt ahead of the November sanctions deadline, because of fears the effort would leave businesses exposed to harsh penalties from the Trump administration. The reported added that a survey of oil trading executives failed to identify any who would be willing to risk the consequences involved in continuing to purchase Iranian oil. And while countries like China may be historically more willing to take on these risks, it bears mentioning that even some close allies of the Islamic Republic are currently taking steps that could help to increase the pressure from US-led sanctions. As an example, Newsweek reported on Thursday that Russia, which has supported Iran in nuclear negotiations and in its intervention on behalf of the Assad regime in Syria, has joined Saudi Arabia in quietly increasing petroleum outputs in order to compensate for the loss of Iranian exports among those countries that are complying with the forthcoming sanctions. The silent nature of the increases is reportedly part of an effort to not look as if Russia or OPEC are acting on the orders of the US. President Trump tweeted in June that he hoped the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries would increase output substantially in order to keep prices down. The perception of a response to this demand is perhaps less important to Saudi Arabia, a close US ally that is already routinely subjected to Iranian accusations of subservience to Western powers. But Russia may be keener to avoid such perceptions at a time when its relations with the US are in flux and it still shares some but not all of Irans strategic goals in the Middle East region. Regardless of Russias motivations or any fears regarding how it will be perceived, it reportedly entered into an agreement to begin raising output last month and to continue doing so through December. This reverses a previous agreement between Russia and OPEC to reduce outputs in order to buttress prices that were falling at the time. Iran was exempted from that deal prior to the American withdrawal from the 2015 nuclear agreement, as it sought to bring its output back up to self-reported pre-sanctions levels. The Newsweek report indicates that Tehran quickly seized upon the reversal in order to accuse Moscow and Riyadh of violating their preexisting commitments. It remains to be seen whether this will put substantial strain on cooperative relations between Iran and Russia, but it is essentially certain that Irans protests will contribute to the escalating war of words between the Islamic Republic and its Gulf Arab adversaries. In some cases, questions linger about the extent to which the rhetorical exchanges between these countries have been reflected in actual policy. But those questions may begin to fade as the developing situation prompts some of the more tentative Arab nations to truly step up pressure on the Iranian regime and its oil economy. Bloomberg reported on Thursday that the United Arab Emirates had continued to buy Iranian oil despite standing right alongside Saudi Arabia in raising the alarm over Tehrans expanding, destructive influence on the region. But the report went on to say that this situation may be coming to an end as the UAE looks to tightly police the flow of oil imports through its ports in advance of the return of US sanctions on November 4. Energy Minister Suhail Al Mazrouei declared on Tuesday that alternatives are available in the market, although he did not go into detail as to what these alternatives might be. The expanded Russian and Saudi Arabian supplies may represent two such alternatives, but it has yet to be determined whether those and other countries will be both willing and able to quickly compensate for the loss of Iranian oil. The answer to this question may depend in part on how vigorously the UAE and the rest of the world demand those alternatives, and the Bloomberg report concluded by noting that the extent of that demand may depend on the U.S. and whether it emphasizes strict adherence to sanctions. In recent weeks, the Trump administration has slightly moderated its tone on that point, suggesting that it might grant some waivers to countries that depend on Iranian oil, but only if they first took measures to substantially reduce those imports. This is certainly not to say that the administration has seriously scaled back the overall assertiveness of its Iran strategy. Quite the contrary, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton both offered strong warnings to the Islamic Republic in recent days, with Bolton insisting that there will be hell to pay if Tehran continues its malign behavior, while Pompeo said that the Iranian regime will be held responsible for any deaths of American personnel or damage to diplomatic infrastructure following a missile attack on the Basra consulate by militant proxies of the Islamic Republic. This attack presumably contributed, also, to Secretary of Defense James Mattis conclusion that Tehran has grown resistant to any sort of restraint, thereby underscoring the need for strong, multilateral efforts to constrain its behavior. According to the Washington Examiner, Pompeo echoed this sentiment but also suggested that the Iranian regimes apparent efforts to step up its threats against regional and Western adversaries are evidence that the US governments comprehensive pressure campaign [is] serious and succeeding. Pompeo went on to say, We must be prepared for them to continue their attempts to hit back, especially after our full sanctions are re-imposed on the 4th of November. The White House evidently perceives these prospective attempts as falling into a number of different categories, and PJ Media reported that Secretary Mattis had identified several distinct examples of Irans lack of restraint, including its interventions in Syria, its provision of weapons to proxies that have fired them into Arab states, and the attempted bombing of the June 30 rally of the National Council of Resistance of Iran just outside Paris. This last incident and other terror plots against Western targets may be especially important in turning the US pressure campaign into something truly multilateral. Recently, the French government announced asset freezes for two Iranian intelligence agents and the Iranian Ministry of Intelligence as a whole, based on its firm determination that Tehran was responsible for the plot against the NCRI. Agence France Presse then reported on Thursday that this was likely to have a strongly adverse impact on the European Unions efforts to buttress the nuclear deal and assist the Islamic Republic. So far, Iranian officials have generally remained defiant of US sanctions threats, and the Associated Press quoted Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei as telling a gathering of the Basij civilian militia that Iran would slap the US over the issue. No doubt, the recent actions of several different countries and businesses have emboldened this attitude. But many of these actions, including Chinese sanctions evasion, Arab oil policies, and EU commitment to the 2015 nuclear deal, are under significant threats, either from US sanctions enforcement or from the Iranian regimes own threatening behavior against would-be advocates in the West. New Braunfels, TX (78130) Today Mainly clear skies. Areas of patchy fog. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable.. Tonight Mainly clear skies. Areas of patchy fog. Low around 55F. Winds light and variable. Artsakh State Minister Grigory Martirosyan today, in Stepanakert, met with Haykak Arshamyan, the newly appointed executive director of the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund. Martirosyan congratulated Arshamyan on his recent appointment, saying he was sure the new director would be able to steer the organization clear of its temporary challenges following the resignation of its previous director. According to an Artsakh government press release, Martirosyan said that the people and government totally backed the fund, noting that the achievements of the organization can be seen throughout the country. Arshamyan thanked Martirosyan for his warm reception and said that the fund would restore its credibility through a transparent work ethic. Arshamyan said that the fund is studying a project to build manufacturing facilities in Artsakh. Photo (from left): Haykak Arshamyan, Grigory Martirosyan Have you ever wanted to ask someone in English about the kind of work they do but were unsure how? Many cultures have ways of doing this. Today on Ask a Teacher, our question comes from Azra in Turkey. Question: Is it polite to ask people about their jobs? How can I ask someone without sounding impolite? - Azra, Turkey Answer: Hello Azra and thanks for writing to us! In the United States, asking someone about their job is one of the most common things to do when meeting that person for the first time. But in some other cultures, this question may be considered disrespectful, so be careful. Although questions such as What is your job? and What are you? seem like the most direct ways to ask, we do not use them. The questions are structured correctly but, to Americans, they can sound impolite and unnatural. Ways to ask Instead, we have a few ways to ask that sound more natural. When you meet someone in a social situation, and you want to know what kind of work they do, the most common question is this: What do you do? It is a shorter way of asking: What do you do for a living? Listen to both questions and some answers you might hear. Pay close attention to the pronunciation of What do you do? as it usually sounds like Whaddya do? when said quickly: What do you do? Im a teacher. What do you do for a living? I work in photojournalism. What do you do? I run an arts program for teenagers. What do you do for a living? Im a musician. Compare the question What do you do? to What are you doing? They sound similar, but the second is not work-related. It is asking what the person is doing right now, this minute. Two other friendly ways to ask some about their work are What kind of work do you do? and What line of work are you in? You can answer in the same way, saying something like, I run an arts program for teenagers or Im a musician. Following up After the person answers the question, it is a good idea to ask one or two more questions. Listen to an example: What do you do for a living? I run an arts program for teenagers. Nice! How long have you been doing that? For about five years now. Where do you work? At the citys arts and culture division. What not to ask Despite how common job-related questions are in social situations in the U.S., situations differ. Some people may find these questions too personal if asked too soon. If youre ever unsure, you can start a conversation in other ways, such as asking what the person does for fun in that city. Or, you can comment on something interesting or funny at the event or activity. You should avoid asking the questions What is your profession? and What is your occupation? They sound too official, so we do not use them in friendly situations. You would probably only hear them during a job interview or in an office environment. Another thing to know is that, in American culture, we do not ask about a persons wages. Even some close friends and relatives do not discuss this subject. So, unless someone shares this information with you or asks for wage advice, avoid asking this question. And thats Ask a Teacher. Im Alice Bryant. Do you have a question for Ask a Teacher? Write to us in the Comments area. Be sure to list your country! What do you do for a living? How long have you been doing it? Do you enjoy your work? We'd love to hear from you. Ways to Ask Following Up What Not to Ask What do you do? What do you do for a living? What kind of work do you do? What line of work are you in? How long have you been doing that? Where do you work? What company do you work for? What are you doing? (It's not work-related) What is your profession (or occupation)? How much money do you make? _______________________________________________________________ Words in This Story polite adj. having or showing good manners or respect for other people pronunciation n. the way in which a word or name is said interview n. a formal meeting with someone who is being considered for a job or other position profession n. a type of job that requires special education, training, or skill run v. to direct the business or activities of something teenager n. someone who is between 13 and 19 years old Brazilians will vote Sunday in presidential elections. A total of 13 candidates are on the ballot. The leading candidate is said to be 63-year-old Jair Bolsonaro of the Social Liberal Party. He is supported by 35 percent of likely voters in the latest opinion survey. During the election campaign, Bolsonaro has said that, if elected, he will help Brazil deal with a number of problems. He has promised to take steps to reduce crime, strengthen the economy and fight corruption. But many Brazilians are concerned about some of the statements Bolsonaro has made in the past. Some believe many of his ideas are racist, homophobic and unfair to women. Bolsonaros supporters say tens of millions of Brazilians hope he will be elected, even if they will not say so to friends or family members. In opinion surveys, his nearest opponent is Workers Party candidate Fernando Haddad, who replaced former president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. Lula is serving a 12-year prison sentence for corruption. Brazils top electoral court barred him from serving as a candidate in August. Last month, Lula told supporters, I want everyone who would vote for me to vote for Fernando Haddad for president of Brazil. From now on, he will be Lula for millions of Brazilians. Haddad and Lula are said to be friends and similar in their political positions. But for many voters in Brazil, the two men are also very different. Lula served as the countrys president between 2003 and 2011. Haddad was mayor of Sao Paolo for four years, from 2013 to 2017. Before becoming a candidate for mayor in 2012, Haddad served as Brazils education minister under Lula and then former president Dilma Rousseff. American Mark Jones has been watching the election campaign. Jones is head of the Latin American Studies program at Rice University in Houston, Texas. He says a Bolsonaro victory would represent a move away from traditional party candidates in Brazil. Jones told VOA, In a country thats hungry for someone whos a non-traditional politicianhes providing the vehicle for them to cast their vote. Jones added that the Workers Party is being blamed for the countrys recession, high crime rate and political corruption. He says that has helped Bolsonaros rise in popularity. Another candidate is Marina Silva of the Sustainability Network Party. Silva was born in a rubber-producing community in the Amazon rainforest. She served as Brazils environmental minister while Lula was president. She was a candidate in the past two presidential elections. Since early 2014, Brazilian police and government lawyers have launched a major anti-corruption operation. Their efforts have led to discovery of political wrongdoing in every major party, except Silvas. If no candidate wins a majority of the votes on Sunday, an election with only the top two candidates will be held October 28. Im Jonathan Evans. Victor Beattie reported this story for VOA News. Jonathan Evans adapted his report for Learning English with additional information from the Associated Press and Reuters. George Grow was the editor. _____________________________________________________________ Words in this Story survey n. a public opinion study; examination homophobic adj. of or relating to a fear or opposition to sexual activity between persons of the same sex sustainability adj. involving a method of harvesting so that the Earth is not permanently damaged network n. a system or organization A United States official says the U.S. military is offering its cyber warfare technology, including computer software tools, to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO). The move is meant to help the 69-year-old alliance better deal with cyber threats from Russia and China. The Associated Press says an announcement is expected soon. Katie Wheelbarger is a deputy assistant defense secretary for the United States Department of Defense. She said the U.S. is prepared to use defensive and offensive cyber operations for NATO allies. One condition, however, is that the U.S. will keep control of its own personnel and operations. NATO members accept cyber operations The U.S. offer comes just three months after leaders of NATO member countries gathered in Belgium. They agreed to let the alliance use cyber technology that is provided voluntarily by NATO members. Their goal is to protect computer networks and fight off cyberattacks. The agreement shows that the United States and its allies are increasingly concerned about Russias use of cyber operations to influence elections worldwide. On Thursday, the Netherlands reported that Russias military intelligence service, the GRU, attempted a cyberattack on a group investigating chemical weapons use. Hours earlier, Britain accused the GRU of carrying out a worldwide campaign of cyberattacks. Russia is constantly pushing its cyber and information operations, said Wheelbarger. She added that the cyber effort is a good way for the U.S. to show its continued support for the alliance. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg said offensive cyber operations are just one of many elements in our strengthened NATO cyber defenses. He told reporters it is important to have the ability to destroy networks used by groups like the Islamic State for financing and expanding membership. Stoltenberg said that Britain and Denmark also have agreed to help NATO with cyber warfare activities, and he expects other countries to follow. He noted the use of computers to influence political processes as well as cyberattacks against infrastructure. He said that cyber warfare will be an important part of any future military conflict. A new cybersecurity strategy Observers say the new declaration of cyber support can help serve as a warning to keep other nations and enemies from attacking. In September, the U.S. Defense Department released a cybersecurity strategy. That document calls for more aggressive use of cyber activities by the military. And it criticizes Russia and China for their use of cyberattacks. China, the document said, has persistently taken information from government and private businesses for economic reasons. It said Russia has used cyber information operations to influence our population and challenge our diplomatic processes. U.S. officials have repeatedly accused Russia of interfering in U.S. elections in 2016 by using, among other things, social media. For these and other reasons, the new cybersecurity strategy calls on defense officials to work to strengthen the capacity of allies and partners. NATO has slowly moved to expand on offensive cyber activities. At a NATO meeting in Warsaw in 2016, the alliance recognized cyberspace as an area of warfare. It went on to say that a computer-based attack on any ally would activate NATOs promise to defend its members. In 2017, NATO officials agreed to create a cyber operations center. So far, the alliance has been taking steps to defend NATO networks and those of its members, and not on offensive computer technology. Im Mario Ritter. The Associated Press reported this story. Mario Ritter adapted it for VOA Learning English. George Grow was the editor. _________________________________________________________________ Words in This Story cyber adj. related to computers networks n. a system of computers and other devices that are connected to each other infrastructure n. basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) that are needed for a country, region or organization to work properly persistently adv. to continue to do something although it is difficult or other people want you to stop challenge v. to test the ability, skill or strength of someone or some group We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. A view of a street in Limbe township, which hosts the busiest marketplace in Blantyre, Malawi, on Oct. 6, 2018. (Charles Pensulo/Special to The Epoch Times) For Some Malawi Business Owners, Closer China Ties Has Meant Losing the Shop Business owners in the southeast African nation say their government has done little to help, to avoid upsetting Beijing BLANTYRE, MalawiA group of business owners in Malawis financial hub may be feeling the side effects of the southeast African nations government getting closer to China, with local business owners getting evicted from their places of business in favor of Chinese business owners. Kiliro Mbisa is one of six business owners in Blantyre, Malawis center of finance, who have recently been evicted from a Chinese-owned building they had set up business in. The owner of the building duped us into believing that he has sold the building and that the new owner doesnt want us, she said. After we did our research, we noted that the landlord wanted to rent the property to fellow Chinese nationals. According to Mbisa, one of the tenants at the premise was Chinese, and to their surprise, he wasnt given a notice to evict and even ended up getting an additional shop after the six business owners had vacated. We went to Ministry of Trade, Competition and Fair Trading Commission, and even the mayors office to find a redress, but nothing happened. The ministry said this was a tenancy issue and they couldnt get involved. The principal secretary of trade and industry said if we cant compete, then we had to move, she said. Were fighting for the government to protect us as small and medium enterprises. The way things are going, all these places are going to be occupied by Chinese and Asians, she added. According to Timothy Mtambo, executive director at Centre for Human Rights and Rehabilitation (CHRR), the government could be failing to assist the local businesses due to projects and funding the government is getting from the Chinese regime. Foreign direct investments are good, but not all foreign direct foreign investment were seeing are good for this country, said Mtambo, an expert in international corporation and development. In pursuit of gaining greater geopolitical influence, the Chinese communist regime in recent years has been increasing its presence in Africa on both the economic and military fronts. Very, Very Bad Limbe township in southeast Blantyre hosts some of the biggest shops in the urban district. Several business owners in the town who have set up shop in buildings owned by Chinese nationals have found themselves in a situation similar to Mbisas. Chinese-owned businesses grew after Malawi established diplomatic relations with China in 2007, at the cost of its relations with Taiwan. Since then, Chinese have been coming in large numbers. CHRRs Mtambo described what is happening with the local businesses as very, very bad. I agree with the people in Limbe because the foreigners already have an advantage. The foreigners should come here to add value, and not do things that locals can do like opening small shops, he said. Denis Kalekeni, general secretary of the Malawi Congress of Trade Unions, said while trade in the country is liberalized, fair trade principles should be respected so that small-scale local businesses are protected. Kalekeni described the move by the Chinese and other Asians evicting local Malawians in preference of their fellow nationals who pay higher rentals as very unfair and something the trade union cant condone. These are issues that weve heard and are not happy with. Right now, we are carrying out investigations on the matter. We want to put it in the strongest terms, that should this practice continue, we will have no option but to march against the perpetrators, he said. Meanwhile, Mbisa has found a temporary shop to continue operating her business, though the new place is too small to accommodate all of her fridges and machinery. Im losing millions now. After years in the shop, my business has come to a standstill at a notice of 60 days, she said. Mbisa has laid off nine employees, and the other five businesses owners evicted from the building complex have together laid off another 25. The group of disgruntled business owners is currently seeking permits from the city to hold an event to protest their evictions. Britain has expressed concern over freedom of speech in its former colony Hong Kong after authorities refused to renew the work visa of a senior editor of the Financial Times. A statement dated today [Saturday, Macau time] said Britain has asked for an explanation as to why Victor Mallets visa renewal application was rejected. Hong Kongs high degree of autonomy and its press freedoms are central to its way of life, and must be fully respected, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said in a statement posted on its website.Mallet is a vice president of Hong Kongs Foreign Correspondents Club, which recently drew criticism from the authorities for hosting a talk by Andy Chan, the leader of a now-banned pro-Hong Kong independence party. Hong Kong was promised semi-autonomy for 50 years as part of its 1997 handover from British rule. Rights groups have called the visa rejection the latest sign of Beijings expanding restrictions on the semi-autonomous Chinese territory. The London-based Financial Times said in a statement that it was given no reason why Asia editor Mallets application was rejected. This is the first time we have encountered this situation in Hong Kong, it said. In response to a query from The Associated Press, Hong Kongs immigration department said it would not comment on individual cases but that it makes visa decisions in accordance with the law. In handling each application, the Immigration Department acts in accordance with the laws and prevailing policies, and decides whether to approve or refuse the application after careful consideration of individual circumstances of each case, it said in a statement. The president of the Macau Portuguese and English Press Association (AIPIM) told Radio Macau yesterday [Friday] that the decision by Hong Kong authorities to not renew the work visa of Victor Mallet, is a worrying sign. Mallet is a big name for journalism, especially in Asia, that unfortunately finds itself forced out of Hong Kong, AIPIM President Jose Carlos Matias said. In March, the Asia news editor for the Financial Times said in a seminar organised by AIPIM and part of The Script Road Macau Literary Festival, that he believes freedom of the press in East Asian countries, and especially in Greater China, has been on the decline in recent years. MDT/AP Assyrians in Northern Syria Condemn School Closures By Kurds The Amal Assyrian Elementary School in Hasaka, Syria. (AINA) -- In a letter sent to the so-called "Autonomous Self-Government in the Jezira Region," the German Society for Threatened Peoples (GfbV), the Assyrian Federation in Germany and the European Sections (ZAVD) appealed to the Kurdish authorities in the northern Syria region of Jazira not to impose new curricula on Christian private schools in the province of Al-Hasakah. The letter was signed by Society's Middle East spokesman Kamal Sido and Aziz Said, President of the Assyrian Federation in Germany. "Many Assyrian and Armenian Christians fear that their children's credentials will not be recognized by the Syrian government or elsewhere, and their future plans may be curtailed," said Society's spokesman Kamal Sido on Tuesday in Goettingen. He warned that "the worries and fears of Christian communities must be taken seriously on an equal footing. Otherwise it can quickly give the impression that Christians in northern Syria are no longer welcome. The region has also been home to them for millennia." The Assyrian communities in Jazira feel pressured by an administrative decree issued by the Democratic Union Party or PYD (affiliated with PKK) authorities to immediately "re-register" their private and church schools in Al-Hasakah province. "Many are worried that this decree could mean a complete closure of these schools if they do not comply," said Sido. Around 7,000 pupils would then no longer have lessons. The new school year begins in early September, 2018. Kurdish authorities closed a Assyrian school in Derbiseye after Assyrian school officials refused to adopt a Kurdish teaching curriculum (AINA 2018-08-09). In a press release, the Assyrian Democratic Party (ADP) accused the YPG of "intimidating" the region's Assyrian community. "The YPG is harming education by promoting its ideologies through school curricula," and demanded that the Kurds immediately allow the schools to reopen. Various Assyrian groups, among them the Assyrian Democratic Organisation (ADO), a founding member of the Syrian Opposition, also condemned the closures. The ADO said in a statement: We strongly condemn this arbitrary decision by the self-governing authorities, and we believe that it targets the Assyrian Syriac people and exerts more pressure on them...the concern shown by this administration for the unity of the country contradicts the democratic claims that it boasts, the core of which is the freedom of education. We emphasize that the position of the YPG reflects a deficient vision and serves to strike the rest of the educational process and deprive the students to continue their study by imposing certain ideological approaches that have not convinced even the supervisors of teh schools. Assyrians are demanding the Kurdish PYD group to immediately revoke the decision, to allow the opening of Assyrian schools in Derek and Darbasiya and to allow all students from different ethnicities who want to register in order for them to start the new school year. The private Assyrian schools, among them those administered by the Syriac Orthodox Church, have been operating in the region since mid-1930s and teach a curriculum specialized in the Assyrian language and religion developed jointly with the Syrian Education Ministry. Bahrains regional close allies, namely Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait, are expected to approve an assistance package worth up to $10 billion for the Gulf country, which is grappling with a financial deficit that has slowed down its economic growth. The assistance approval will come soon with an agreement between the countries after finance ministers of the lenders end their current visit to Amman, where they are concluding another financial aid deal for Jordan, Kuwaits Al Rai newspaper said Thursday citing an unnamed diplomatic source. A Gulf decision at the highest levels was taken to start the execution steps for a program to support the financial stability of Bahrain, the diplomatic source was quoted as saying. Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Kuwait in June announced their support to Bahrain, which has been under pressure because of a two-year old deficit budget. The deficit was equivalent to 14 per cent of gross domestic product (GDP) in 2017. Public debt was 90 per cent of the DGP and is expected to increase to 100 per cent next year according to the Financial Times. The support package has been tied up to reforms expected from the small monarchy. The reforms according to sources in the Gulf country include the imposition of value-added tax and changes to the pension system. The 10-billion package accounts for about a quarter of Bahrains annual GDP and 28 percent of public debt, and covers over two years of state budget deficits according to International Monetary Fund projections. As it faces hardship, authorities have been raising the prices of fuel and electricity, which were previously sponsored by the government. Jeffersonville, IN - A convicted sex offender who got out of prison early is back behind bars for molesting another child. Brandon Nevils, 34, is charged with child molestation after a co-worker found pornographic photos of his 5-year-old daughter and reported them to police. Clark County Prosecutor Jeremy Mull said Nevils, of Jeffersonville, was on parole when he was arrested Wednesday on 20 counts of possession of child pornography and two counts of child molestation. He pleaded not guilty in court Friday, and the judge scheduled a tentative trial date of Feb. 26, 2019. Nevils remains jailed on a $100,000 full cash bond. The prosecutor is also charging Nevils as a repeat sex offender, which means he will face harsher penalties if convicted of these crimes. A probable cause affidavit says Nevils took photographs of the victim when she and her parents spent the night after a bonfire at Nevils home in Jeffersonville last month. Court records show the child "had fallen asleep on the couch" and "Brandon offered to allow her to sleep with him in his bed." Her mother agreed, and that's when investigators believe the abuse happened. Prosecutors do not have any evidence the parents knew about Nevils' criminal past. "They would have not let their child obviously be around him, but being unaware of that unfortunately this did occur," Mull said. Nevils works with the child's father. Court records show the father was looking through a shared work computer this week and found photos of his daughter being molested. "To go to work, to be on a shared computer, and find that your co-worker has photos of your daughter being molested is a horrendous thing to undergo," Mull said. Online records say Nevils was released from prison last year. The former EMS worker in Louisville was sentenced in Clark County, Indiana, in 2010 to 20 years for sexually abusing girls in the care of his mother's babysitting service in Sellersburg. His victims were between 4 and 10 years old. For prosecutors, offenders being released early is a frustrating reality of the criminal justice system. "To get out on probation or parole or with time cuts to commit additional crimes ... This is a constant frustration that I face," Mull said. "In my mind, if you're sentenced to 20 years in prison, you ought to go serve 20 years." To Amy Hall, yoga is like a fountain of youth. Year after year, I continue to enjoy ongoing improvements in balance, posture, strength, and energy, thanks to yoga, Hall said. Yoga makes me feel goodeven when its challenging. Hall and her husband Peter recently purchased the yoga studio formerly known as Napa Valley Yoga and Wellness. Today, the studio has been renamed Napa Valley Yoga Center. It is located at 1115 Jordan Lane. The Halls said that for now, they plan to retain the existing class schedule, which includes more than 35 classes at all levels and in many styles of yoga. Napa Valley Yoga Center is open daily. Offerings will evolve over time with new workshops and meditation classes soon to come, said a news release. Yoga practitioners and teachers themselves, Peter and Amy said they want people to know that, yoga can make a real difference for anyone at any age and ability level. You dont have to be a 20-something Gumby! We offer classes with specific goals in mind, whether it is stress reduction and relaxation, or to get fit and build muscle. We are especially interested in reaching absolute beginners who might say, I cant do yoga, Im too stiff! said Peter Hall. But, of course, thats exactly who can benefit the most. Napa Valley Yoga Center offers a beginner series to welcome newbies to experience the flexibility, balance and strength that yoga is known for. Yoga practitioners at any level can take advantage of single class drop-ins as well as discounted class packs and memberships. The studio is offering a new student special (10 classes for $75) to encourage folks to come see the space, meet the team of talented teachers, and enjoy the benefits of yoga. There are even classes geared towards visitors (three out-of-towner classes for $50). Just like we seek out yoga classes whenever we travel to relax and recharge, we want visitors to Napa Valley to look to us, said Amy Hall. The new owners said they are excited to connect with local hospitality partners, event planners, wedding planners, and the business community to create customized yoga experiences. The spacious studio is walkable from downtown and has a free parking lot. As one of the largest yoga studios in Napa, Napa Valley Yoga Center offers a great number of classes, as well as dedicated front desk support to help students find the right fit. According to the Halls, it is also the only studio in Napa Valley to offer Yoga Alliance 200-hour yoga teacher certification, with the next training program scheduled to begin in February 2019. The Halls said their most important goal today is building upon the warm, inviting community that they originally found at this yoga studio. Both have practiced in the space for many years and love the big-hearted feeling from everyonefrom the desk staff to the teachers and fellow students, that includes lots of smiles and friendships. Napa Valley Yoga Center will host an open house on Dec. 1 from 5 to 7 p.m. The public is invited to visit, meet the yoga teachers, and enjoy raffles, specials available only at the party as well as a henna artist. RSVP to connect@NapaValleyYogaCenter.com. Sometimes two heads are better than one. Just ask Peyton OHara and Carter Mills. Both students, eighth-graders at Redwood Middle School, recently ran for student body president of the school. OHara won, but what she did next surprised many. She invited Mills, who is on the autism spectrum and has special needs, to be her co-president for the year. Carter is really well-loved at the school, said Redwood Middle School teacher and leadership advisor Betsy Whitt. He got a number of votes for president. But OHara did win the election, she noted. So when Whitt heard of OHaras idea, her first reaction was Oh my gosh. Everyone got kind of teary-eyed, she said. I cried when I heard this story, wrote Redwood Middle School language arts teacher Teresa Silvagni. Middle-Schoolers often get a bad rap. But this is the sweetest thing Ive ever heard anyone do in a while. Its peer support and inclusion at its finest. Mills said he decided to run because hes very interested in politics and figured some experience would be helpful if he ever ran for public office. Yes, he was disappointed not to win, but he was happy for Peyton. The two have been friends since kindergarten. I felt she really earned the job and deserved it, he said. Mills platform included advocating for inclusivity of all students at the school. Because I have special needs, I feel its important to make our school inclusive to all the kids because it makes our school respectful and welcoming, he said. OHara said that at first, she wasnt sure she was going to run. But after her friends encouraged her, she decided to go for it. I wanted to make the school a better place and encourage more of a community feeling at the school, she said. Even though she was campaigning against her longtime friend, No matter what, we both knew each other could do the job, said OHara. It was weird that they both were running for the same position, said Mills. But I knew if I didnt win Peyton would do a good job. When OHara heard she had received the most votes, my first reaction was I was glad to win, but I felt kind of down because I knew Carter didnt win, she said. By the time OHaras mom had picked her up that afternoon at school, she already had a new idea. I want Carter to do this with me, OHara said. I need his encouragement and ideas. Just hours later, during dinner that night, Mills heard of OHaras proposal. I was surprised, he said. And he accepted. The two co-presidents are about to have their first student council meeting. Topics will probably include setting a budget and discussing plans for spirit week. Each day of Spirit Week will have a different theme, explained OHara. Ideas already include a hat day, pajama day and pink day. Or an election-themed day, suggested Mills. It seems to be the first time in Redwood Middle School history that there have been co-presidents of the student body. In fact, the student body constitution had to be amended to allow for this shared role, Whitt noted. Neither student has heard any negative comments about OHaras decision to name Mills her co-president. If they did, I would have a strong opinion about that, OHara said. I would have a strong argument with anyone who objected to the shared role, Mills agreed. After all, teamwork is helpful. Its important that leaders partner so they can share ideas, said Mills. If the national leadership would work together thered be less arguing and fighting. 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. We've known for months that Republicans obstructed the Obama administration's attempts to warn states and the public about Russian interference in the 2016 election. The Post previously reported that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in particular threatened to label "any effort by the White House to challenge the Russians publicly an act of partisan politics." But a new book from The Post's Greg Miller contains a chilling McConnell quote that shows just how paranoid the entire GOP has become. In late summer 2016, Miller writes, then-CIA Director John Brennan hurriedly arranged meetings with senior congressional leaders over intelligence that Putin had authorized "a covert operation aimed at destablizing the American presidential election." The connections among Russian intelligence, WikiLeaks and the Democratic National Committee hack were already public knowledge. But the CIA had two intelligence sources "deep inside the Kremlin" reporting the same finding. Yet when Brennan briefed McConnell, he did more than just play down the findings. He told Brennan, Miller reports, "You're trying to screw the Republican nominee." McConnell is as cynical a politician as you'll find in Washington, but what makes this quote so frightening is that it goes beyond cynicism into delusion. It is not surprising that the Kentucky Republican publicly undermined something that might hurt the GOP down the ballot. But this accusation came in a private meeting, where McConnell had no reason to accuse the CIA of a liberal conspiracy unless he believed it, or at least thought it likely. I am no fan of Brennan, but there was no reason to suspect that a career CIA employee and veteran of the George W. Bush administration was scheming to undermine Trump, or that other CIA officers would go along with such a plan. (Plus, McConnell must have known, as most of Washington did, that the Obama White House assumed Hillary Clinton would win.) And yet the mind of the country's most powerful senator warped Russia's plot into a liberal plot. We've seen this in other areas as well, most notably climate change. The president and his supporters in the Fox News-and-company echo chamber are not just skeptical of the science that (overwhelmingly) shows climate change is man-made; they believe that "climate change" is cover for somebody else's dastardly deeds. As Hurricane Irma approached Florida last year, radio host Rush Limbaugh told listeners, "There is a desire to advance this climate change agenda, and hurricanes are one of the fastest and best ways to do it." Then-Chairman of the Senate Environment and Public Works Committee James Inhofe, R-Okla., said global warming "is the first component of authentic global governance." Trump, meanwhile, has said that "the concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make U.S. manufacturing non-competitive." Right-wing conspiracy theories about liberal causes are nothing new. In the 1950s and 1960s, for example, the fringe John Birch Society believed the civil rights movement was a Soviet strategy to create a "Negro Soviet Republic." These delusions usually stayed on the fringes of the Republican Party, sometimes indulged by its leadership but never acted upon. For the Senate majority leader to ardently accuse the CIA of conspiring against a domestic political party is, as far as I can determine, unprecedented. It seems conspiracy theories now rule the day from the top to the bottom of the Grand Old Party. And with Trump as leader, Republicans are likely to remain in delusion's clutches, consequences be damned. James Downie is The Washington Posts Digital Opinions Editor. He previously wrote for The New Republic and Foreign Policy magazine. By all political logic, Democrats ought to find it easy to attract an outpouring of Hispanic votes. After all, from the day Donald Trump trashed Mexicans in his 2015 Trump Tower announcement speech to his administrations multiple anti-immigration policies, the Republican president has conducted a virtual war on Americas largest minority. Trump and the House GOP have repeatedly blocked broad-ranging immigration reform and efforts to protect 800,000 DACA Dreamers brought here illegally as children. And his administrations controversial zero tolerance policy on illegal immigrants has separated hundreds of children from their parents. But there are signs the blue wave that is buoying Democratic hopes this fall is not reaching Hispanic voters, at least so far. In Hispanic heavy Florida and Texas, polls show some Democratic candidates under-performing anticipated levels of support. Some of it stems from insufficient outreach to Hispanic voters, but there are also unique factors in some key races. The degree of Hispanic support could be especially crucial in four races that are key to Democratic hopes of regaining the Senate: Florida, where Democratic Sen. Bill Nelson is seeking re-election; and Arizona, Nevada and Texas, where Democrats hope to capture GOP-held seats. Democrats received a dramatic warning signal last month in south Texas when a Republican won a special election in a heavily Hispanic state Senate district. Among the post mortems was Democratic concern about their difficulty in motivating potentially favorable voters. That may be a pattern elsewhere, too. There doesnt seem to be the level of interest that some might have expected, said Mark Hugo Lopez, the director of global migration and demography research at the nonpartisan Pew Research Center. But he added it might hamper both parties, citing a September survey for the National Association of Latino and Elected Officials (NALEO) showing nearly 60 percent of Hispanics reported no contact from either party. Lagging Hispanic turnout is hardly new. In 2016, census figures show, the Hispanic turnout was 47.6 percent of eligible voters, behind whites (61.4 percent), blacks (59.6 percent) and Asian-Americans (49.3 percent). And it could especially be a problem in Texas, where Democrats have long predicted the growing Hispanic population would be crucial in ending the three-decade Republican domination of the states politics. In 2016, the network exit poll showed Hillary Clinton defeating Trump among Hispanics, 61-34. Latino Decisions, an independent polling firm, put her margin at a far larger 80-16. But Hispanic turnout barely surpassed 40 percent of eligible voters, more than 20 points lower than white turnout. This years polls show Senate hopeful Beto ORourke lagging behind that. A Mason-Dixon poll for Telemundo Spanish language television stations in early September showed him leading by just 54-31, while other surveys show a narrower lead. ORourke, an Anglo with a Hispanic nickname, is hampered by the fact that Cruz, the son of a Cuban immigrant, is one of the nations highest profile Hispanics. And though the Democratic nominee for governor, Lupe Valdez, is Hispanic, she is regarded as a weak candidate who only marginally leads Gov. Greg Abbott among Hispanics and trails among all voters. In Texas sprawling majority Hispanic 23rd Congressional District, which stretches from San Antonio to El Paso and overlaps that state Senate district the GOP flipped, a poll showed Democrat Gina Ortiz Jones trailing Republican Rep. Will Hurd, an African-American who opposes Trumps plan for an anti-immigrant wall and favors legal status for the Dreamers. In Florida, Republican Senate candidate Rick Scott, the states current governor, has sought to separate himself from Trump, making multiple visits to Puerto Rico and criticizing the administrations handling of last years hurricane damage there. Polls have shown him making inroads among the states growing number of Puerto Ricans, usually pro-Democratic. But Nelson this week got the endorsement of the islands Democratic governor. In a majority Hispanic Miami-area congressional district now represented by retiring GOP Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the Democrats nominated Donna Shalala, the 77-year-old former Cabinet member and University of Miami president who doesnt speak Spanish. Polls show she is struggling against Republican Maria Elvira Salazar, 56, a Cuban-American former television newswoman. In Arizona, Democrats nominated a Hispanic educator, David Garcia, for governor, but he is trailing incumbent Republican Doug Ducey. In California, Hispanics have strongly supported Democrats, but encountered difficulty in winning the top positions. Democrats have two Hispanics on their state ticket, but former Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa lost his bid for governor and, in the all-Democratic Senate runoff, Senate President pro tempore Kevin de Leon trails veteran Sen. Dianne Feinstein. Democrats do control 11 of the 12 Hispanic majority districts. But their hopes of winning the remaining one, which Clinton carried in 2016 and leans Democratic, may have been damaged when they nominated a non-Hispanic to challenge GOP incumbent David Valadao. Overall, Democrats will likely win most Hispanic votes again this year. The question is whether enough will vote to make the difference. Carl P. Leubsdorf is the former Washington bureau chief of the Dallas Morning News. I am all for the federal government's ban cannabis; they are right now. The states have no right allowing this industry, even by putting it to the vote for the people. All the states want is to collect tax from these pot businesses. The National Academics of Sciences has found cannabis use by youth can adversely affect learning and memory and may impair later academic studies and education. So do you want the next generation lead our country with brains that do not function? Also, it has been proven that marijuana use for pregnant women is detrimental for the developing fetus. The baby's birth weight will be lower and its brain will be affected negatively. Please, tell your Napa City Council representative to stop the sale of cannabis, with all the negative side effects it brings. Kerstin Hughes Napa Lynne Rodgers didnt like what I wrote in my Sept. 14 letter, The Real Housewives of Vatican City. She was obviously upset as she penned her Sept. 29 response, claiming that my tone was vastly Immature and unfair. I just want to know how she knew I wore my Mickey Mouse ears to Sunday mass until I was nearly 17. That was supposed to remain a dark secret of my past. Anyway, after reading her letter, I have to say that, personally, I will take vastly immature and unfair over vastly illogical and sanctimonious any day. In case you missed her letter, let me give you a taste of some of her reasoning in trying to legitimize the endearingly backward and destructive Catholic traditions of clerical celibacy and male dominance. She seems to want to conflate sex education and gender identity issues with the corruption of youth, which in her mind is apparently as bad as sexual molestation by clergymen. In other words, society itself is corrupting young people at an earlier and earlier age, so thank God priests are there to molest them properly before these terrible influences are felt. (Because her reasoning is so hazy, I have to take a stab at what she actually meant, you understand.) She says reprovingly that Pedophilia is on the march to becoming normalized. So by all means the Church should lead the way? Using information from a study funded by the National Conference of Bishopsso there is clearly no spin on any of itshe also wants you to know that most molestations by clergy are of youths who are post-pubescent. So its not really so bad. She wants you to know that rates of molestation by Catholic clergy are no worse than in other institutions. She doesnt say which ones, but you can bet that none of them engage in manhandling children while talking about how it is Gods will. She apparently doesnt want to talk at all about the shockingly generalized administrative cover-ups of this ugly problem, acts that represent a scar as repugnant as the molestations themselves. She absolutely wants to limit the discussion of these criminal activities to the last 50 years in the United States, ignoring the certainly more gruesome horrors that have existed for centuries in Europe and elsewhere, when there was no free press, no transparency, no social safety net, no law but the authority that the Church so brutally misused. How many homeless or orphaned children faced unlimited abuse by monks and priests, without any recourse, no one to hear them cry or scream? Try reading some recently unearthed Church history of the last 200 years in Ireland. But dont do it before bed. Youll never sleep. When it comes to male dominance, and specifically the Churchs refusal to ordain women as priests, Ms. Rodgers argues that Jesus himself made that call himself, and that Church authorities have no authority to change it. Interesting stance, since Jesus supposedly gave them the power to rule the Church absolutely, in Matthew 18:18Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Doesnt that sound like pretty comprehensive decision-making power? Especially if you happen to accept all this Biblical stuff? If were playing by the Bibles rules, Ms. Rodgers, you cant have it both ways. It seems like Church leaders should put on their big boy vestments and pointy hats and start making decisions that square with the advances in justice and equality that humanity has made in the last 200 years or so. Not just ordaining women to the priesthood, but also, say, endorsing the use of birth control, which would not just prevent unwanted pregnancies but would radically reduce third-world deaths from STDs, most notably AIDS. In the end, as so many Catholics do, Ms. Rodgers plays the Magical Mystery Card and tells us that, you know, Catholics are protecting the most priceless bit of mystical conservatism, a bastion of truth in a tempest-tossed world, and that there are no other stars to steer by. To that I would say: Wholly Baloney. The best star to steer by, and one that requires none of the weird, contorted, arcane beliefs of Catholicism, is a simple one that we all know, and that if practiced would serve the world better than any religion. Maybe youve heard of it: Treat other people the way you would like to be treated. The Union Home Ministry has decided to grant the power of issuing Protected Area Permits (PAP) and Restricted Area Permits (RAP) to foreign nationals to the home departments of State governments and the Union Territory administration concerned. The decision came after the provisions for the grant of PAP and RAP to foreign nationals were reviewed in the Home Ministry by Union Minister of State for Home Affairs Kiren Rijiju on Friday. The powers to grant PAP or RAP to foreign nationals have been delegated to the home department of the State government/UT administration concerned or the Foreigners Regional Registration Officers. The delegation of power will not be applicable to nationals of countries under Prior Reference Category. This move will facilitate foreign tourists to visit some of the pristine locations of the country, an official statement issued from Rijijus office said on Friday. As per previous guidelines, approval of the Ministry of Home Affairs was required before grant of PAP or RAP to a foreign national, in case they intended to visit a place which needed a PAP or RAP for activities other than tourism on a visa other than tourist visa. Presently, whole of Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Sikkim and Uttarakhand are covered under the provisions of the Protected Areas. Certain areas of Sikkim and Andaman and Nicobar Islands have been declared as `Restricted Areas. While Arunachal Pradesh shares its boundary with China and Bhutan, Sikkim is surrounded from three sides by three countries Bhutan, China and Nepal. Sikkims Red Panda Winter Festival will see music maestro AR Rahman perform for the home crowd on November 17. The Sikkim tourism department is also trying to give an international feel to this years fest with participation from Britain, Australia, America, Nepal and Bhutan. The world famous composer is also the brand ambassador of Sikkim. The concert is likely to be held at the Paljor Stadium in Gangtok. We are expecting about 70,000 people to come for the concert. We will only have to bear about 10 to 15 per cent of the cost of hosting the show. Rahman will be raising the money for the show on his own, said Ugen Gyatso Bhutia, the Sikkim tourism and civil aviation minister. Although AR Rahman had visited the Himalayan state twice till now, this will be his first performance there. He was the chief guest in last years carnival. Bhutia said around the time of the festival, actor Priyanka Chopra will also be visiting the state. She is not only a Bollywood star, but an international celebrity. She will come here on December 5 and attend the premiere of the Nepali movie Pauna, which is produced by her company, on December 6, he said. The tourism minister said the dates of the festival were yet to be firmed up, but indicated that it could be sandwiched between the Rahman and Chopra visits. This time the festival will be a little different. We are trying to lend an international flavour to the festival. The British Council will be taking part. There could also be participation from Australia, America, Nepal and Bhutan. However, the major focus will remain on local events, he said. Bhutia said efforts were also on to bring Bollywood star Sanjay Dutt to Sikkim sometime around Christmas and New Year to spread awareness of drug abuse, reports The Telegraph. Sikkim chief minister Pawan Chamling had recently said Dutt would be appointed the anti-drugs ambassador of Sikkim. Sikkim government has decided to decriminalize the use of contraband substances, and treat drug abuse as a disease. World oil prices dropping Russia creates spacecraft for space tourism Poll: Biden approval rating reaches lowest level since inauguration Mayor of Armenias Chakaten village: No one called, came from the authorities Parsyan on Azerbaijan checkpoint at Chakaten village section: 7-8 km road to reach Kapan will become 150 km Armenia local elections: Ruling party wins in Ijevan Azerbaijan to set up checkpoint on Armenias Kapan-Chakaten motorway as of 12am Monday Mayor of Armenias Kapan: This was victory of dignity Armenia local elections: Incumbent mayors victory is celebrated at opposition bloc headquarters in Kapan Poland police say group of 50 migrants broke through border with Belarus Armenia local elections: Final voter turnout at 47.4% as of 8pm Armenia local elections: Incumbent mayor clear leader in Kapan city, preliminary results say Queen Elizabeth misses Remembrance Sunday service after back sprain Muammar Gaddafi's son to run for Libya president Armenia MOD: Situation relatively stabilized at eastern part of border with Azerbaijan At least one person killed after 2 strong quakes strike southern Iran Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 38.38% as of 5pm Armenia FM to head for Brussels Putin: Europe itself is to blame for thousands of migrants going there Azerbaijan army attempts to secure positional advance in eastern direction of Armenia border Several climate issues were not addressed during COP26, UN Secretary General says Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 25.71% as of 2pm Putin to address Russia MFA board enlarged meeting next week Artsakh ex-ombudsman: UN Human Rights Committee advised Armenia not to deploy police troops at peaceful assemblies Zakharova: UK has no right to accuse anyone of refugee situation on Poland-Belarus border Armenia local elections: Voter turnout at 10.3% as of 11am 2 more persons die of coronavirus in Artsakh Armenia pizzeria chain restaurants reopen after mass food poisoning Bulgaria holding presidential, snap parliamentary elections Russia, Turkey discussing possibility of jointly manufacturing weapons Azerbaijanis set up shack near Armenias Chakaten village, says mayor Earthquake hits Armenia-Georgia border zone EEU countries approve roadmap for industrial cooperation until 2025 882 new cases of COVID-19 confirmed in Armenia Mayor of Armenias Kapan: Road at Chakaten village is now used in same mode Potentially dangerous asteroid approaching Earth is discovered At least 13 Syria soldiers, fighters killed in fight against terrorists in Deir ez-Zor Governorate Armenia local elections continue One dead after accident on Yerevan-Meghri motorway US conducts joint drills with Ukraine, Turkey and Romania in the Black Sea US authorities unseal oil reserves to stabilize market prices UNICEF reports increase in number of child marriages in Afghanistan COAF, US Embassy, Armenia's ministry sign three-year Memorandum of Understanding Search work to find bodies of those killed in Artsakh suspended since October 18 itizen who threw a grenade near Shushi is in Artsakh Investigative Committee Armenian Defense Ministry: Azerbaijanis opened fire on Armenian positions in the direction of Verin Shorzha 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 YEREVAN.- Many in the Prime Minister's team, who do not distinguish a revolution from power change, take every opposing tendency as hostility. Who needs that revolution if the same problems are maintained? Armenia's Prosperous Armenia Party (PAP) MP Gevorg Petrosyan told Armenian News-NEWS.am. He underlined that he welcomed the new government's entry into Armenia, but it has been five months already and, according to his observation, the promises have not been fulfilled. "You have said that the red lines should be removed from the first day, and today the red lines are oppressing the population, you would say that speedometers should be pulled out of our lives a day before, especially if you were talking about reducing the penalties for their infringements, so far the speedometers are going to be imported , and the size of the fine has not been revised," he noted. Dear Newsie Readers, Newsie has now permanently ceased it's services as of Friday 20th December 2019. Newsie has been an owner-funded operation since day one. Coming up to three years old, while we still firmly believe Newsie has a place in the New Zealand media landscape, the cost in both time and money has become too burdensome for the owners to continue alongside other ventures. With the current government looking to restructure public broadcasting, and seemingly supporting NZME buying a ring-fenced Stuff, the time seems right to call it a day. Should it happen, the combination of NZME and Stuff will ensure New Zealands national media will die a death by a thousand opinion-based articles. Newsie has always tried to stick to balanced news, to inform readers of the facts of a situation, amid being largely ignored by government. Hopefully, one day someone else will take up the challenge to fight the good fight. The good news, however, is that there were no job losses as a result of Newsie closing. Thanks to careful structuring, everyone involved in Newsie will retain their current positions. We hope you all have a happy Christmas and new year. Stay safe, and stay out of the news. The team at Newsie (Bloomberg) -- Tech providers vying for a $10 billion Defense Department cloud-computing contract may come under added pressure to prove their systems are secure after a report that China sneaked spy chips onto servers used by U.S. companies including Amazon.com Inc., a top contender for the Pentagon award. Amazon, the market leader in cloud-computing services, was among almost 30 companies including Apple Inc. whose servers were infiltrated according to a Bloomberg Businessweek report based on more than a dozen sources in the government and private sector. Apple, Amazon, server component seller Super Micro Computer Inc. and the Chinese government denied the report. When asked for comment on the implications for its Pentagon bid, Amazon pointed to its statement denying the report. The Big Hack: Amazon, Apple, Supermicro, and Beijing Respond. Security and procurement experts said Amazons prospects for winning the cloud services award may not be affected because it can argue that it was a victim that uncovered the problem. According to the report, Amazon unearthed the breaches, which happened at factories run by subcontractors in China, alerted authorities and took action to limit the consequences. Still, the revelations increase pressure on the Pentagon as well as on Amazon and the other bidders to step up measures to secure their systems in a global marketplace where integral equipment is manufactured in China. Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said that panel should seek more information from agencies about whether China sought to infiltrate the computer-chip supply chain. No one is safe, said Darrell West, director of the Center for Technology Innovation at the Brookings Institution. Im sure Amazon has some of the very best security people. The fact that they had a problem should alarm everybody. Deadline Looms The deadline for companies including Amazon, Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle to submit bids for the Pentagons project, which involves moving massive amounts of sensitive government data to a commercially operated cloud system, looms in just over a week. Story continues Amazon Web Services was seen as the front-runner from the start because it had already won a $600 million cloud contract from the Central Intelligence Agency in 2013. Microsoft Corp. is catching up as it expands its work with the intelligence community. Oracle Corp. declined to comment on the implications of the report on its bid for the Pentagon contract. Microsoft and International Business Machines Corp. didnt respond to requests for comment. The Defense Department released in July its final requirements for the project, known as the Joint Enterprise Defense Infrastructure cloud, or JEDI. Bids for the project, which could last as long as 10 years, are due on October 12th. A Pentagon spokeswoman, Heather Babb, responded to questions about addressing the risk of infiltrated equipment by referring to documents detailing the procurement requirements. Under those, the Pentagon is asking companies to meet strict security guidelines, including the ability to obtain top-level security clearances, offer government-approved encryption, provide local data centers and staff them with U.S. citizens. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee, said the Bloomberg Businessweek report provides more evidence that Chinas pattern of behavior is a serious threat to national security and supply chain risk management. Security experts are grappling with the threat from secret devices being inserted into U.S. networks, in addition to cyberattacks from afar. The weaknesses in the global supply chain require constant vigilance from tech companies to stay ahead of developing threats, said Stan Soloway, president of consulting firm Celero Strategies and a former Defense Department official under President Bill Clinton. You could have the toughest security requirements in place but downstream you are connected to a global supply chain over which the government does not have direct contract control, Soloway said. While Amazon may have uncovered evidence of Chinese infiltration, according to the report, other companies that bought from Supermicro, the company whose subcontractors made the servers that were compromised, are also at risk, said William Carter, deputy director of the Technology Policy Program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington. Given their market share, theres a decent chance that AWSs competitors use some of their hardware as well, Carter said, referring to Amazons cloud division. Many Chinese factories that do this kind of assembly work with multiple big U.S. companies," meaning the Chinese military could use them to compromise all sorts of hardware. David Wilcox, a cybersecurity expert who spent 37 years at the National Security Agency, said if the reports are correct, Amazon did the right thing. They took their product and had it scanned by a security company that was doing their job." Amazon rebuttal: Setting the Record Straight on Bloomberg Businessweeks Erroneous Article Single-Provider Debate Cybersecurity experts are divided over the question of whether its safer for the Pentagon to invest in securing a single top cloud provider, as the Pentagon plans despite objections from Amazons rivals. Oracle, Microsoft and IBM have all argued that having multiple providers isolates risk, ensuring that a problem in one companys cloud services wouldnt compromise the entire department. In a report to Congress earlier this year, the Defense Department said making multiple awards under current acquisition law would be a slow process that could prevent DoD from rapidly delivering new capabilities and improved effectiveness to the warfighter that enterprise-level cloud computing can enable. Security experts pointed to the challenges of securing systems with components made in disparate parts of the world. The problem is most of our electronics are made in China, said West of Brookings. Even if a file server is made in the United States, its still likely to have components from abroad and especially from China. The fact that they are able to insert a microchip into devices is very scary. Bloomberg Intelligence analyst James Bach said the problem should spark a discussion about supply chain security that goes far beyond the JEDI contract award and should involve all the large tech companies and Congress. "Everybody has their hands in this," Bach said, noting that supply chain vulnerabilities pervade the U.S. government. "Its not just Amazon or Apple." To contact the reporters on this story: Naomi Nix in Washington at nnix1@bloomberg.net;Ben Brody in Washington at btenerellabr@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Sara Forden at sforden@bloomberg.net, Larry Liebert For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2018 Bloomberg L.P. (Bloomberg) -- The White House national security adviser said Chinese cyber attacks on the U.S. validate the Trump administrations emphasis on offensive cyber operations of its own, after Bloomberg News reported that Beijing had hacked American computer networks using a microchip built by its spies. Separately, two Democratic lawmakers said the report shows the risk of Chinese cyber-espionage to U.S. companies and the government. John Bolton, who leads the National Security Council, didnt confirm whether the White House was aware of the Chinese hack before Bloombergs report. I dont want to address anything that might touch on specific intelligence questions, he told reporters. But I will say the Chinese efforts to threaten us in cyberspace and across the information technology spectrum are a very high priority for us -- countering them, establishing structures of deterrence to prevent China from even thinking about doing it, touches on the offensive cyber operations that the president has authorized, Bolton said. Bloomberg Businessweek reported Thursday that Chinese spies exploited vulnerabilities in the U.S. technology supply chain to infiltrate computer networks of almost 30 U.S. companies, including Amazon.com Inc., Apple Inc., a major bank and government contractors. Among the targets was a contractor that made software to helped funnel drone footage to the Central Intelligence Agency and communicate with the International Space Station. Investigators found that tiny microchips, not much bigger than a grain of sand, had been inserted during manufacturing in China onto equipment made by subcontractors of Super Micro Computer Inc., one of the worlds biggest suppliers of server motherboards, the fiber-mounted clusters of chips and capacitors that act as neurons of data centers. Investigators determined that the chips allowed the attackers to create a stealth doorway into any network that included the altered machines, according to people familiar with the matter. Story continues In emailed statements, Amazon, Apple, and Supermicro and the Chinese government disputed summaries of Bloomberg Businessweeks reporting. The report that China sought to infiltrate the computer chip supply chain, if true, is deeply disturbing and the latest example of the lengths that Beijing will go to in order to steal Americas official and commercial secrets, Representative Adam Schiff of California, the top Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement. Further Clarification He said the panel is seeking further clarification from the Intelligence Community regarding this latest report and will be reaching out to the companies affected. The committees chairman, Republican Devin Nunes of California, didnt respond to a request for comment. Senator Mark Warner of Virginia, the top Democrat on the Senates intelligence panel and a former technology executive, also expressed concern. The report provides more evidence that Chinas pattern of behavior is a serious threat to national security and supply chain risk management. Representative Frank Pallone of New Jersey, the top Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee, said the report is deeply disturbing and Congress must investigate. "We must hear directly from the companies potentially affected by this devastating security breach to get a better understanding of what happened," he said. Intellectual Property Clash The U.S. government has long accused China of stealing American intellectual property through cyber espionage and other means, a charge that has ramped up since President Donald Trump took office promising to take on the Chinese government. Earlier this year, a Commerce Department investigation Trump ordered into Chinese trading practices found that China had hacked into U.S. businesses for commercial gain. The report referenced intelligence findings that took place during the administration of former President Barack Obama, and highlighted the ongoing nature of Chinas hacking. The investigation of the altered motherboards began during the Obama administration, people familiar with the matter said. Trump himself has accused China of stealing U.S. technology, and has recently ratcheted up his rhetoric toward Beijing. He has engaged in a trade war with the country, leveling tariffs on $250 billion worth of Chinese imports and threatening more. China has responded with counter-tariffs on American products with particular political resonance, including agricultural goods. We have a tremendous problem with theft of intellectual property with China, Trump said Monday during a news conference to announce a new trade agreement with Canada and Mexico. The Chinese government has denied allegations of state-sponsored hacking of U.S. companies. --With assistance from Ben Brody, Justin Sink, Jennifer Epstein, Jordan Robertson and Michael Riley. To contact the reporters on this story: Toluse Olorunnipa in Washington at tolorunnipa@bloomberg.net;Billy House in Washington at bhouse5@bloomberg.net To contact the editors responsible for this story: Alex Wayne at awayne3@bloomberg.net, Mike Dorning For more articles like this, please visit us at bloomberg.com 2018 Bloomberg L.P. Professor Yabing Qi and his team from OIST in collaboration with Professor Shengzhong Liu from Shaanxi Normal University, China, developed the cells using the materials and compounds that mimic the crystalline structure of the naturally occurring mineral perovskite. The team described their technique in a study published in the journal Nature Communications. In what Professor Qi refers to as the golden triangle, solar cell technologies need to fulfill three conditions to be worth commercializing: their conversion rate of sunlight into electricity must be high, they must be inexpensive to produce, and they must have a long lifespan. Today, most commercial solar cells are made from crystalline silicon, which has a relatively high efficiency of around 22%. Though silicon, the raw material for these solar cells, is abundant, processing it tends to be complex and shoots up the manufacturing costs, making the finished product expensive. Perovskite offers a more affordable solution, Professor Qi said. Perovskite was first used to make solar cells in 2009 by Prof. Tsutomu Miyasakas research team at Toin University of Yokohama, Japan, and since then it has been rapidly gaining importance. Research on perovskite cells is very promising. In only nine years, the efficiency of these cells went from 3.8 % to 23.3%. Other technologies have taken over 30 years of research to reach the same level, explained Qi. The fabrication method he and his research team have developed produces perovskite solar cells with an efficiency comparable to crystalline silicon cells, but it is potentially much cheaper than making silicon solar cells. Related: Should The U.S. Oil Industry Fear The Midterms? To make the new cells, the researchers coated transparent conductive substrates with perovskite films that absorb sunlight very efficiently. They used a gas-solid reaction-based technique in which the substrate is first coated with a layer of hydrogen lead triiodide incorporated with a small amount of chlorine ions and methylamine gas allowing them to reproducibly make large uniform panels, each consisting of multiple solar cells. In developing the method, the scientists realized that making the perovskite layer 1 micron thick increased the working life of the solar cell significantly. The solar cells are almost unchanged after working for 800 hours, says Dr. Zonghao Liu, a postdoctoral scholar in Prof. Qis research unit at OIST and the first author of the study. In addition, a thicker coating not only boosted the stability of the solar cells but also facilitated the fabrication processes, thereby lowering its production costs. The thicker absorber layer ensures good reproducibility of solar cell fabrication, which is a key advantage for mass manufacturing in the realistic industrial-scale setting, said Dr. Liu. The big challenge Professor Qi and his team now face is in increasing the size of their newly designed solar cell from the 0.1 mm square sized prototype to large commercial-sized panels that can be several feet long. This is where the industry can help. There exists a large gap between the findings in lab and reality, and the industry is not always ready to cover this entire gap by itself. So, the researchers need to take one more necessary step beyond their labs and meet the industry half-way, said Qi. To take that step, Prof. Qi and team received a generous grant from OISTs Technology Development and Innovation Center, under their Proof-of-Concept Program. With that funding, the team has built a working model of their new perovskite solar modules consisting of multiple solar cells on 5cm 5cm substrates, with an active area of 12 square cm much bigger than their experimental prototype but smaller than what is required for commercial purposes. Related: Gazprom's Bid To Maintain European Energy Dominance Although the process of up-scaling has reduced the efficiency of the cells from 20% to 15%, the researchers are optimistic that they will be able to improve the way they work in the coming years and successfully commercialize their use. This pretty encouraging work. 20 percent efficiency at low cost is enticing, while 15% not so much. Where that 25% loss is caused must be of some considerable interest. The new fabrication process looks very promising, as the scale loss is sure to be found and more efficiency is likely in there to be developed. With fresh funding this technology will likely pay off for producers and consumers. Well probably not be told in a few years our new device has this technology, but the device will cost less. By New Energy And Fuel More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Under a new deal being signed with Russia on October 3, Kazakhstan will be permitted to export car fuel a sign that severe domestic shortages may be a thing of the past. As of this past year, and since July 2013, Russia has sold around 1 million tons of petrol to Kazakhstan every year and waived export duties, but on one condition: Kazakhstan could not take that same fuel and resell it elsewhere at a profit. The arrangement has proven a valuable lifeline for Kazakhstan, which has endured a number of fuel-shortage crises over recent years amid growing demand. The last such crisis struck last fall, when two of the countrys three refineries were under refurbishment. As a result, kilometer-long lines formed at gas stations across the country, causing much public ill-will. There is a profound irony in the fact that for all its oil riches, Kazakhstan has needed to bring in around 15 percent of its petrol from Russia. This was to a great extent because the countrys three aging refineries have long operated at well below optimal level and, to make matters worse, they turned out a low-grade product. Related: $200 Billion Saudi Solar Megaproject Might Never Happen The modernization of the three country's refineries was completed this year a development that has allowed for expanded production and the output of higher-grade Euro-4 and Euro-5 fuels. The Energy Ministry has even begun to talk of a fuel oversupply, which would enable a turn to exporting probably to Kyrgyzstan for now. It is this that lends such importance to the energy sector cooperation agreement now being signed between Kazakhstans Energy Minister, Kanat Bozumbayev, and his Russian counterpart, Alexander Novak. Still, with ever-increasing domestic demand, this period of bounty may not be certain to last indefinitely. In an acknowledgement of possible supply problems down the pike, the government plans to build yet another refinery by 2022. If that plan should fall through or be delayed, Kazakhstan may yet again have to return to reliance on imports. By Eurasianet.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: Oman has long been nicknamed the Switzerland of the Middle East thanks to the nations peace-focused diplomacy measures and a tendency toward neutrality and mediation. Despite being geographically surrounded by conflict and political turmoil, Oman has been able to stay out of regional squabbles for decades, often going so far as to act as an intermediary between warring neighbors. Muscat has also managed to maintain good relationships with both Iran and the United States for many years--no small feat. The Omani Sultan fell into Irans good graces back in the 1970s when he sent troops to help subdue the Dhofar revolt. Meanwhile, through free trade deals, anti-terrorism cooperation, U.S. troops basing rights, and other diplomatic measures, Oman has also been able to stay on the United States good side for decades. Now, for the first time in many years, Omans policy of neutrality is being challenged thanks to increased pressure on Iran coming from the United States, as well as Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. Through the center of this dilemma runs a proposed natural gas pipeline between Iran and Oman. After over a decade of discussion, the Iran-Oman gas pipeline was greenlit last year, and a joint committee was formed in July to finalize the deal. The massive energy and engineering project will cost an estimated $1.2 billion and will funnel 28 million cubic meters per day of Iranian natural gas from the southern port of Kuhmobarak to the port of Sohar in Oman, according to the National Iranian Gas Company. Kuhmobaraks location near the Strait of Hormuz on the Sea of Oman makes it an ideal launch point. 30 percent of global seaborne oil and gas pass through the Strait of Hormuz each day. Related: Kuwait Stops Exporting Crude To U.S. After arriving in Oman, the natural gas would be liquefied for export or kept in Oman to replenish the gulf countrys own long-dwindling reserves. In light of their diminishing natural gas output and ensuing gas shortages, as well as other economic shortcomings, Oman has been working diligently to diversify their economic landscape in the past few years. This proposed pipeline in conjunction with Iran is part of that plan. Iran is expected to add a massive amount of pipeline to infrastructure across the Middle East in the coming years, contributing a projected 12,698 km by 2022. Irans plans alone account for more than 50 percent of the entire regions publicly planned pipeline additions according to numbers from GlobalData. Iran is followed by Iraq in terms of planned pipeline. The neighboring nation has planned to invest approximately US $29.6 billion by 2022 to add a total length of 5,105 km of oil and gas pipelines. Turkey comes in third in the Middle East with a planned 2,030 km pipeline addition with a price tag of around US $5.8 billion. But soon this will all be challenged by heavy U.S. sanctions against Iranian petroleum. The Trump administration has announced it will reimpose sanctions on Iranian petroleum, petroleum products and petrochemical products, and all transactions with the National Iranian Oil Company starting November 5. Tensions with Iran have been ramping up since Trump began threatening to roll back the Obama-era nuclear deal on the campaign trail. Related: Underwhelming OPEC Fuels Oil Price Rally Now Oman has been caught in the crossfire, like many other countries who dont want to have to pick a side between the two economic and political powerhouses of the U.S. and Iran. If the Trump administration follows through on their proposal to re-introduce sanctions on Iran next month, it will create major problems for the viability of the Iran-Oman natural gas pipeline. The Strait of Hormuz, a critical location in the pipeline plans, has long been a site of contention between Iran and the U.S. In August both nations simultaneously claimed to have complete control of the essential oil and gas crossing and the U.S. threatening force if Iran tried to disrupt any of the shipping. Despite the tricky political waters and economic doubts, Oman has publicly stated that it intends to go forward with the project, but there is no denying that it will be with much more roadblocks than they initially bargained for. By Haley Zaremba for Oilprice.com More Top Reads From Oilprice.com: French police have opened an investigation into the reported disappearance last week of Meng Hongwei, the Chinese head of the international police organisation Interpol, a source close to the inquiry said. Meng was last seen leaving for China from Interpol's headquarters in Lyon, southeast France, in late September, the source said. His wife reported him missing. "He did not disappear in France," the source told AFP. Europe reported that he left the country on September 29. Before being elected head of Interpol in November 2016, Meng was vice minister of public security in China, which critics say gave him control over the secret police. He was the first Chinese leader of Interpol, which connects the law enforcement agencies of its 192 member countries. It does not have agents of its own with powers of arrest. Beijing saw Meng's election as a chance to enlist more international help in tracking down alleged economic criminals, including corrupt officials, targeted by President Xi Jinping's anti-graft campaign. But the drive, known as Operation Fox Hunt, has led to claims in some countries that Chinese law enforcement agents have been operating covertly on their soil without the approval or consent of local authorities. Since it began several top officials have been detained and charged with crimes including "severe disciplinary violations", a phrase which usually refers to corruption or graft. Meng's term is scheduled to run until 2020. During the Soviet era, the country's top computer scientists and programmers largely worked for the secret services. That practice appears to have resumed under President Vladimir Putin, as Russia faces accusations of waging a global campaign of cyber attacks. Dutch officials on Thursday accused four Russians from the GRU military intelligence agency of attempting to hack into the global chemical weapons watchdog in The Hague. The agency has investigated both the fatal poisoning of Russian former double-agent Sergei Skripal; and an alleged chemical attack by Moscow-allied Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. The Baltic states were the first to accuse Moscow of mounting attacks to knock out their sites back in 2007. Estonia said one such attack had put the country's main emergency service phone number out of action for over an hour. Since then, accusations of cyber attacks have continued against Moscow. The Russian hacker group variously known as Fancy Bear, APT 28 and Sofacy has been linked to GRU and accused of attacks on the US Democrats' 2016 presidential campaign, together with Russia's FSB security service, the successor to the KGB. The skills of Russian hackers today developed from a tradition of excellent computing and programming skills dating back to the Soviet era. "The whole structure of the economy was skewed towards the military sector," said Oleg Demidov, a consultant at the Moscow-based independent think-tank PIR Center. "All the achievements of Soviet science including the first computers went to serve the military sector." The most brilliant students were pushed to work in the military and space sector, he added. - Banking crime - After the Soviet Union fell apart in 1991, its armed forces were broken up and most of the top specialists turned to the nascent banking sector in Russia, either to work there or to attack it. In this era saw the first cyber attacks on banking operations and the first mentions of Russian hackers. "Now Russian hackers are excellently trained and equipped and they still occupy one of the top positions in banking crime," said Demidov -- even if the Russian justice system has begun to crack down on them. In 2016, Russian cybersecurity giant Kaspersky estimated that between 2012 and 2015, Russian hackers had stolen at least $790 million worldwide. Russian computer scientists study at "very strong universities in Saint Petersburg, Moscow, Novosibirsk, Kazan or Krasnoyarsk", said Denis Kuskov of TelecomDaily specialised research agency. They "can work anywhere in the world, in any international company," he added. In recent years, however, more have opted to stay in Russia, he said. "The secret services have grown more interested in good programmers and it's easier for them to find work in Russia now." In 2012, the Russian defence ministry announced it was creating its own "cyber troops". It launched a wide recruitment drive that included promotional videos on social media. For Demidov, the growing wave of attacks attributed to Russian hackers has come about as Russia becomes better able to defend its own cyber security more strongly, the military sphere included. "These efforts... have began to bring results," he said. Today however, even the most established players in Russian IT are in the sights of the West. The US in 2017 imposed a ban on the use of Kaspersky's anti-virus software by federal agencies amid concerns about the company's links to the Russian intelligence services. While many young Russians may choose to work for the military and secret services for reasons of patriotism, some may still be more interested by the money. This week a military tribunal in Moscow held a closed-doors trial for the head of operational control at the FSB's centre for information security, Colonel Sergei Mikhalkov and three alleged accomplices. Kommersant daily reported that they were accused of passing secrets on the Russian secret services' cyber technology to the FBI in return for $10 million. A new study from Biodesign researcher Gary Moore appears on the October cover of the journal ACS Catalysis. Credit: Jason Drees Publishing a high-impact scientific article is a significant achievement for researchers. Being featured on the journal cover is even better. A new study outlines advances in the field of catalysis research, with broad applications for innovative energy technology. Gary Moore, an assistant professor in the School of Molecular Sciences and a researcher with the Biodesign Center for Applied Structural Discovery, and his team won the coveted honor when their research article, "Electrocatalytic Properties of Binuclear Cu(II) Fused Porphyrins for Hydrogen Evolution," was selected for the cover of the October edition of ACS Catalysis. Moore's graduate students, Diana Khusnutdinova and Brian Wadsworth, were the lead authors on the study. Jason Drees, former multimedia developer for Biodesign designed the journal cover. "It's always a pleasure to have others take special notice of my group's research," Moore said. Established in 2011, ACS Catalysis is a peer-reviewed journal that publishes manuscripts covering experimental and theoretical research on materials and molecules that are catalytic in nature. Catalysts play an essential role in energy conversion processes in biology and technology. They act to provide low-energy pathways for chemical reactions and find their way into applications ranging from fuel manufacturing to guiding the bioenergetic reactions essential to all living organisms. Moore's lab studies the ways in which catalytic materials powered by photovoltaics can produce energy to meet humans' needs while minimizing environmental impact. According to Moore, their studies are inspired by the process that plants and other photosynthetic organisms use to convert sunlight to fuels through a series of photochemical reactions. "This process powers our biosphere and supplied the fossil fuels our modern societies rely on," Moore said. The cover art illustrates the molecular structure of the reported catalyst, a binuclear copper(II) fused porphyrin which is composed of two porphyrin macrocycles, as well as the union of two protons to synthesize hydrogen (H2). The study explores the electrocatalytic properties of the porphyrins in this hydrogen evolution reaction. "In our recent ACS Catalysis publication we describe a new class of catalyst for driving the hydrogen evolution reaction (HER)," Moore said. "The product of this reaction is a fuel and an important chemical feedstock. The reported catalyst uses a molecular framework to house two copper metal centers. Under appropriate conditions, a single molecule of the catalyst produces more than 2,000,000 molecules of hydrogen per second. This rate constant is among the highest reported in the literature." By understanding the physical and chemical properties of these electrocatalysts, Moore believes further enhancement of their catalytic properties is possible. With human energy demands rapidly increasing and with serious concerns about the environmental impacts of the fossil fuel economy, clean alternatives in energy production are desperately needed. Research like Moore's may pave the way for a more sustainable future that will enable humans to meet acute energy needs with a more eco-friendly, low carbon regime. "We imagine the promising features of the catalyst described in our current report will provide a foundation for achieving new energy technologies requiring enhanced control of matter and energy at the molecular level," Moore said. "Human-engineered systems capable of converting sunlight and water to fuels offer a promising approach to obtaining a sustainable energy future." As Moore explains, one innovation that makes this study stand out is the use of copper in lieu of the industry's standard, platinum. "The long-established industrial catalyst for activating this reaction is elemental platinum. However, concerns that future market demands for platinum and other rare-earth elements could outpace availability have prompted researchers to seek alternative materials and design principles to prepare catalysts for the production of hydrogen and other industrially relevant chemicals," Moore said. Not only did the study pave the pathway for the use of copper in hydrogen evolution reactions, but it also yielded results on the kinetics associated with the compound. "The copper-based assembly achieves one of the highest maximum turnover frequencies reported for a molecular hydrogen evolution reaction catalyst," Moore said. Moore and his team are pursuing follow-up studies that will continue to shed light on the electrocatalytic properties of these assemblies. "Members of my research team and I, including Diana Khusnutdinova and Brian Wadsworth, are currently in France to perform in situ X-ray absorption measurements at the SOLEIL synchrotron. These studies will investigate the electronic structure of the catalyst described in our current ACS Catalysis article and other related materials," Moore added. Work is also currently underway involving catalysts that make use of other types of earth-abundant metal centers and molecular-based scaffolds to house them, which Moore's group looks forward to reporting on in the near future. Explore further Finding the right balance for catalysts in the hydrogen evolution reaction More information: Diana Khusnutdinova et al, Electrocatalytic Properties of Binuclear Cu(II) Fused Porphyrins for Hydrogen Evolution, ACS Catalysis (2018). Journal information: ACS Catalysis Diana Khusnutdinova et al, Electrocatalytic Properties of Binuclear Cu(II) Fused Porphyrins for Hydrogen Evolution,(2018). DOI: 10.1021/acscatal.8b01776 Assyrian Confederation of Europe Condemns Kurdish Occupation of Assyrian Schools in Syria The Amal Assyrian Elementary School in Hasaka, Syria. (AINA) -- The Assyrian Confederation of Europe, which represents over 500,000 Assyrians in Europe, issued a statement condemning the Kurdish occupation of Assyrian schools in northeast Syria. The local Kurdish government in the Hassakah province has shutdown Assyrian schools which refused to adopt the Kurdish curricula. The following is the full statement: 1 hour ago Washington seeks over $38 billion from opioid distributors SEATTLE (AP) Having rejected a half-billion-dollar settlement offer, Washington Attorney General Bob Ferguson is taking the state's case against the nation's three biggest drug distributors to trial Monday, saying they must be held accountable for their role in the opioid crisis. But his gamble isn't without risk, as a loss by three California counties in a similar case this month demonstrates. Read Article The city of Guadalupe is set to begin the search for a new chief of police after Public Safe Like most websites we use cookies. This is to ensure that we give you the best experience possible. Continuing to use SciDev.Net means you agree to our use of cookies. If you would like to, you can learn more about the cookies we use here "We should let him finish, and afterwards we can judge," said Denis. "No, he should go!" responded Bernardin, debating with his friend the long legacy of Cameroonian President Paul Biya who has ruled since 1982 and will seek a seventh term in Sunday's election. Denis and Bernardin sat on a low wall in the Nkol Eton district of the capital Yaounde discussing the future of their country, where 75 percent of the population have only known Biya as their president. Across all of Africa, only Equatorial Guinea's Teodoro Obiang Nguema has been in power longer. "He should have time to complete the projects he started, or else they will fail," said Denis. Since coming to power three-and-a-half decades ago, Biya has launched many high-profile prestige projects, several of which have never seen the light of day. "If he hasn't managed to do something I think that's enough, he's not going to do it later," responded Bernardin, who voted for Biya in the last presidential election in 2011. "I was deceived," he sighed. "Now I'm 30 years old. In 2011 I was 23 and I believed in him. But now if he's reelected? I will be 37 and I will only have ever known him. Ouch!" - 'At least Biya has experience' - The two friends' cigarette-fuelled, late afternoon conversation turned to politics even though Biya himself has been all but invisible during the campaign, except for a brief appearance in the country's far north last weekend. Thousands of Biya posters have been put up across the country proclaiming the 85-year-old to be "the force of experience". "Have faith in him, he's the father," said Denis, exhaling as he leant on a nearby car. "No, no! That's not the way to look at it," interrupted Hugues, a 44-year-old casual labourer who had been listening to Denis and Bernardin's debate. "My son just graduated from high school. But me, I'm not 'in the system', I want to know what to do so he has opportunities. I don't have the money to give." But Denis insisted that Biya "is not the problem. It's his entourage. I don't think he knows what's going on, with corruption and all that". "It's up to you young people to take charge," said Hugues. "What youngsters? Can you imagine handing power to a young person? Look at the state of the youth, it would be a disaster. At least Biya has experience," said Denis. - 'The youth candidate' - But despite his defence of Biya, Denis admitted he would not be voting for the president on Sunday and had not even collected his polling card. "What's the point, he'll be elected without me, and that's good. I don't need to vote," he said. All three men agreed that the election would have no impact on their daily lives. For them, Cameroonian politics is defined by self-advancement rather than deeply held values. The young people campaigning for Biya "don't have political motives, but they have to drink, they have to eat and so people take the money, that's just the way it is," said Bernardin. The ruling Cameroon People's Democratic Movement (CPDM) party's youth wing has descended on communities across the central African nation to hand out shirts, hats and key-rings bearing Biya's likeness, hoping to mobilise voters. "But for me, even if they gave me 10,000 CFA francs ($17, 15 euros) this year, I wouldn't vote for Biya!" laughed Bernardin. Of the seven opposition contenders, Cabral Libii is Bernardin's favourite "because he is the youth candidate!" Libii, a TV news analyst who is new to politics, is the youngest presidential candidate at the age of 38. He was just three years old when Biya began his first term. Bernardin is reluctant to imagine yet another Biya victory. "In this system, those who have nothing will have nothing, and those who already have something will still have something," he said, grimly. By Kanupriya Kapoor and Fathin Ungku PALU, Indonesia (Reuters) - A week after a major earthquake brought devastation to Indonesia's Sulawesi island, Ichsan Hidayat told how the bodies of his sister and her 43-day-old daughter were found under a sea of mud and debris, the mother clutching her baby to her chest. Hidayat was not on Sulawesi last Friday when the 7.5 magnitude earthquake struck, triggering a phenomenon called soil liquefaction, which turns the ground into a roiling quagmire. (GRAPHIC: Catastrophe in Sulawesi - https://tmsnrt.rs/2OqQlUo) The neighborhood of Petobo, in the south of the city of Palu, where his sister, Husnul Hidayat, lived with her daughter, Aisah, was wiped out. Rescuers who recovered the bodies told Hidayat his sister was found holding Aisah close. "Today, I prayed that they are in a better place. They deserve better, Hidayat told Reuters as he left Friday prayers at a mosque in the center of Palu, 1,500 km (930 miles) northeast of Indonesia's capital, Jakarta. (GRAPHIC: Destruction in Palu - https://tmsnrt.rs/2IDFukK) Worshippers knelt to pray on red carpets put down outside the mosque as the building is unsafe due to quake damage. Indonesia has the world's biggest Muslim population but also pockets of Christians, including on Sulawesi, and other religions. The official death toll from the quake and the tsunami it triggered stands at 1,571, but it will certainly rise. Most of the dead have been found in Palu. Figures for more remote areas, some still cut off by destroyed roads and landslides, are only trickling in, if at all. No one knows how many people were dragged to their deaths when the ground under Petobo and nearby areas south of Palu, dissolved so violently. The national disaster agency says 1,700 homes in one neighborhood alone were swallowed up and hundreds of people killed. Hasnah, 44, also a resident of Petobo, has trouble remembering all of the relatives she's trying to find in the tangled expanse of mud and debris. "More than half of my family are gone," Hasnah said as she sobbed. "I cant even count how many. Two of my children are gone, my cousins, my sister, my brother in law and their children. All gone." Homes were sucked into the earth, torn apart and shunted hundreds of meters by the churning mud. "The earth was like a blender, blending everything in its way," said Hasnah, who like many Indonesians goes by only one name. 'THEY LIED' Hasnah said she has enough food and water but she's furious that a search and rescue operation in her area only began on Thursday. "They said they would come with the heavy machines but they didnt," she said. "They lied." Sick of waiting for help, villagers themselves have been searching, Hasnah said. "Weve marked the possible bodies with sticks. You can see a foot sticking out, but there's no one here to dig them out." Rescue workers retrieved several bodies later on Friday. As the sun set, a mass prayer ceremony was held by Palu's seafront that was scoured by the tsunami. "We pray for the ones who have died and for those yet to be found," the imam said. "Allahu Akbar," or God is Greatest, responded the congregation. The first signs of recovery are evident in Palu. Electricity has been restored and some shops and banks have reopened and aid and fuel are arriving. Vice President Jusuf Kalla, visiting the disaster zone, said recovery would be completed in two years, beginning with a two-month emergency response phase when everyone who lost their house would get temporary shelter. Doctors have been flocking to help from other parts of Indonesia. The Budi Agung hospital has 134 beds with about 20 more set up in a tent outside, all full. A hospital ship is also due to arrive. Doctors said many patients have been at high risk of infection because they were buried in mud. Rescue workers are pushing into outlying districts cut off for days. Villagers rushed a Red Cross helicopter that landed at Sirenja village near the quake's epicenter, about 75 km (45 miles) north of Palu, to drop off supplies. Some quake damage was evident but the coast did not appear to have been battered by the tsunami, a Reuters photographer said. Sulawesi is one of the archipelago nation's five main islands, and like the others, is exposed to frequent earthquakes and tsunami. In 2004, a quake off Sumatra island triggered a tsunami across the Indian Ocean that killed 226,000 people in 13 countries, including more than 120,000 in Indonesia. (Additional reporting by Tom Allard, Ronn Bautista in PALU, Darren Whiteside in SIRENJA, Agustinus Beo Da Costa, Maikel Jefriando, Tabita Diela, Gayatri Suroyo, Fransiska Nangoy, Fanny Potkin, Ed Davies in JAKARTA; Writing by Robert Birsel; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Nick Macfie.) European Union Commission chief Jean-Claude Juncker on Friday warned of a new war in the Balkans if Bosnia, Albania, Serbia, Macedonia, Montenegro and Kosovo do not feel the EU is serious about offering them future membership. "If, in Europe's highly complicated landscape, the impression arises that we're not serious about offering the prospect of EU membership to the western Balkans, then we might see later -- and probably even sooner -- what we saw in Balkans in the 1990s," Juncker said in a speech to the Austrian parliament. The six Balkan states -- which during the 1990s formed the battleground to Europe's deadliest conflict since World War II that led to the break-up of former Yugoslavia -- are currently at different stages of accession talks with the EU. While membership negotiations have officially started with Serbia and Montenegro, Albania and Macedonia are still in the waiting room to talks and classified as "candidate countries". Bosnia and Kosovo are listed as "potential candidates". Juncker already said last December that expanding into the Balkans was vital to maintain stability in the region and he expected Serbia and Montenegro to join the bloc by 2025. Nevertheless, the road to full EU membership for those states was "still very long", Juncker said. While some of the countries had made progress, "that progress still hasn't gone far enough." He suggested that the EU could offer the states a sort of "economic area where they can partially behave as they will eventually do as full member states." And Juncker reiterated that he didn't see any of them attaining full membership "before 2025, and even then it won't be quick". The EU must "tend to the west Balkans intensively and help where necessary," the EU Commission chief said. It should "ensure it is understood that all border conflicts between the west Balkan states must be resolved before the membership can be attained," he said. Among the most pressing issues is the status of Kosovo, which unilaterally declared independence from Serbia in 2008, but which Belgrade still refuses to recognise. Juncker was in Vienna to attend the centenary celebrations marking the foundation of the Republic of Austria. Oil-rich Gabon, ruled by the same political dynasty for nearly half a century, voted Saturday in long-delayed legislative and municipal polls, the first since a presidential election two years ago that was marred by deadly violence and allegations of fraud. A divided opposition is unlikely to mount a successful challenge to President Ali Bongo's ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG), polls suggest. His key rival, Jean Ping, is boycotting the election, but most other opposition groups entered the contest. Bongo himself voted in Libreville where, like elsewhere in the country, the election appeared to be proceeding calmly under grey skies and light rain. - 'Dice are loaded' - "Like everyone in Gabon, I've just done my civic duty, and all I hope is that everything goes well," the president said after casting his ballot. An early voter, 53-year old shopkeeper Stanislas Bidoubi told AFP he was backing an opposition party. "I want change in my country," he said. Another voter, 34-year old civil servant Rodrigue Taika, said he was backing the ruling party. "I'm voting for the party in power because today there are reforms that are painful, but they are for the benefit of the population," he said in reference to recent austerity measures. Others, meanwhile, decided to stay away, some giving their reasons on social media. "I'm not going to vote because the electoral process is biased, the dice are loaded," wrote Samy Maghoumbou, a teacher, on Whatsapp. "We know in advance who will win, so there's no point in pretending," he said. Posters dotted Libreville asking the country's 680,000 voters to turn up to elect 143 new MPs as well as other local officials. - 'Never missed an election' - Turnout in Gabon elections is usually low, but queues outside Libreville stations pointed to lively voter interest in the capital. "I've never missed an election," said 52-year-old Rainatou Wagne. "Even if there's cheating in every African election, as a Gabonese citizen I prefer to vote," she said. The controversial re-election of Bongo in August 2016 by just a few thousand votes led Ping to claim that victory had been stolen from him. Violence broke out and dozens of people were killed according to the opposition, but the government says only four died. Ping's headquarters was bombed and the opposition also claimed that widespread human rights abuses were committed by armed militias that took to the streets. On Saturday, some opposition candidates were pointing to alleged irregularities, saying that voting papers had gone missing, there had been attempts to buy votes, and their representatives had been denied access. - 'No real opposition' - Political divisions run deep in the equatorial African nation, ruled by Omar Bongo from 1967 until his death in 2009, when his son Ali took over. And Gabon's oil-dependent economy has been hit by falling crude prices. "I am not sure that this election will ease tensions because since 2016, the country has been torn by a crisis that has divided families and changed the political scenario," said political expert Wilson Andre Ndombet. The opposition, which rallied around Ping in 2016, is now fractured, easing the way for the ruling Gabonese Democratic Party (PDG) which, however, is also facing party in-fighting. Ping, a veteran diplomat who once headed the African Union Commission and has held senior UN posts, was a stalwart in Omar Bongo's government. "There is no real opposition in Gabon," said Gabin Yalanzele from the ruling PDG ahead of polling day. A Libreville resident, who identified himself as Steven, said before the vote that the ruling party and the opposition were "buying consciences" with T-shirts and other goodies. "The electoral process has always been biased," said political expert Ndombet, adding that "officials manning voting stations were bought" by the ruling party. The government closed the country's borders on polling day and banned alcohol sales until the end of voting. Interpol demanded an official "clarification" from China on the whereabouts of its missing police chief Saturday, after reports said he was detained for questioning on arrival in his homeland. Beijing has remained silent over the mysterious disappearance of Meng Hongwei, who was last seen leaving for China in late September from the Interpol headquarters in Lyon, southeast France, a source close to the enquiry told AFP. His wife has since reported him missing. "Interpol has requested through official law enforcement channels clarification from China's authorities on the status of Interpol President Meng Hongwei," Jurgen Stock, the secretary-general of the international police body said in a statement. "Interpol's General Secretariat looks forward to an official response from China's authorities to address concerns over the President's well-being." It is the latest high-profile disappearance in China, where a number of top government officials, billionaire business magnates and even an A-list celebrity have vanished for weeks or months at a time. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not respond to a request for comment from AFP. But news of his absence was swiftly followed by speculation that the 64-year-old Meng -- who also serves as a vice-minister of China's Ministry of Public Security -- had been swept up in Beijing's secretive anti-corruption campaign. Citing an anonymous source, the South China Morning Post said authorities from the country's disciplinary commission had snatched Meng upon arrival in Beijing. China's recently established National Supervisory Commission holds sweeping powers to investigate the country's public servants with few requirements for transparency. While the law requires authorities to inform family members of a detention, it makes exceptions for cases involving national security, terrorism, or concerns over destruction of evidence or witness tampering. People have been known to disappear into the commission's custody for weeks or even months without a word. - Anti-corruption? - It is not clear why Meng -- the first Chinese president of Interpol -- would be under investigation. Chinese president Xi Jinping has presided over a popular anti-graft drive since coming to power in 2012 that has punished more than one million officials, with critics comparing it to a political purge. Meng rose up the ranks of the country's domestic security apparatus when it was under the leadership of Zhou Yongkang, a rival to Xi and the highest-ranking official to be brought down on corruption charges. Zhou -- who was sentenced to life in prison in 2014 -- was subsequently accused of conspiring to seize state power and authorities have continued working to root out his influence. He appointed Meng vice security minister in 2004. In the role Meng has been entrusted with a number of sensitive portfolios, including heading up the country's counter-terrorism division, which saw him in charge of the response to several major incidents in China's fractious western region of Xinjiang. Critics of Meng's 2016 election to Interpol's presidency said he would use the position to help China target dissidents abroad under the guise of pursuing corrupt officials. Interpol has downplayed the concerns, saying the president has little influence over the organisation's day-to-day operations, which are handled by secretary-general Stock, a German. The Chinese effort to track down corrupt officials abroad, known as Operation Fox Hunt, has led to claims in some countries that Chinese law-enforcement agents have been operating covertly on their soil without the approval or consent of local authorities. China currently has 44 outstanding red notices, mostly related to murder, intentional injury and drug smuggling, according to Interpol's web site. During Meng's tenure, Interpol issued a red notice for fugitive Chinese billionaire real estate tycoon Guo Wengui, who threatened to reveal corruption at the country's highest levels. Authorities in China and Hong Kong have accused Guo, who resides in the United States, of laundering billions of dollars among other crimes. US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said he hoped to make progress on denuclearisation and a second US-North Korean summit as he kicked off an Asian trip Saturday that will feature a meeting with Kim Jong Un in Pyongyang. Pompeo arrived in Tokyo on the first leg of a tour that will take him to Pyongyang Sunday for a fourth time as the contours of a possibly historic US-North Korea deal take shape. Speaking alongside Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Pompeo said the two historic allies would have a "fully coordinated, unified view of how to proceed, which will be what is needed if we are going to be successful on denuclearising North Korea." Japan, which has seen North Korean missiles fly over its territory and been threatened with annihilation, has historically taken a hard line on Pyongyang and stressed the need to maintain pressure on the regime. More recently, however, Abe has said the only way to improve strained ties is a face-to-face meeting with former international pariah Kim. It was important for the US and Japan to be "fully in sync" before he headed to Pyongyang, insisted Pompeo. He also promised to bring up with Kim the matter of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea decades ago, which is a huge issue domestically in Japan. Abe called for "coordination" on this issue and also on North Korea's nuclear threat. - 'Sufficient trust' - On the plane over, Pompeo said his aim was to "develop sufficient trust" between Washington and Pyongyang to inch towards peace. "Then we are also going to set up the next summit," said Pompeo. However, he played down expectations for a major breakthrough. "I doubt we will get it nailed but begin to develop options for both location and timing for when Chairman Kim will meet with the president again. Maybe we will get further than that," said the top US diplomat. In June, US President Donald Trump met Kim in Singapore for the first-ever summit between the countries. No sitting US president has ever visited North Korea, which according to human rights groups remains one of the most repressive countries on Earth. Since the Singapore summit, which yielded what critics charge was only a vague commitment by Kim towards denuclearisation of the Korean peninsula, the road towards warmer ties has been bumpy. Trump scrapped a previously planned trip by his top diplomat to Pyongyang after what he said was insufficient progress towards implementing the terms of the Singapore declaration. But the unorthodox US president has since declared himself "in love" with the strongman in Pyongyang. Pompeo has repeatedly declined to be drawn publicly on the shape of an eventual agreement. The United States has called for a comprehensive accord and strict enforcement of sanctions on North Korea in the meantime. - Grand bargain - After Tokyo, Pompeo travels to Pyongyang and then on to South Korea, whose dovish president Moon Jae-in has served as a go-between for the two sides. South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha has given a hint of what a grand bargain between the two countries could look like. In an interview with the Washington Post, she said the North could agree to dismantle Yongbyon, its signature nuclear site. In exchange, the United States would declare a formal end to the 1950-53 Korean War -- which concluded with an armistice rather than a full-blown peace treaty -- but North Korea would stop short of delivering an exhaustive list of its nuclear facilities, she said. Pompeo did not discuss the possible outlines of a deal, saying only that his "mission is to make sure that we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve." After Seoul, Pompeo closes his trip Monday in China, North Korea's political and economic lifeline. The Beijing stop could be tense as it comes days after Vice President Mike Pence delivered a blistering speech accusing China of military aggression, commercial theft, rising human rights violations and electoral intervention against Trump. burs-pool-ric/amz Uber has faced a struggle with regulators - AFP Uber has driven up revenues for its UK business by 61pc despite spending the year battling regulators in London and across the country. Last year, the ride-hailing app was threatened with the loss of its London licence by the city's transport regulator and issued with suspensions in several towns and cities. Despite this, Uber increased its revenues to 59.5m for the year ending in December 2017, up from 36.9m the year before, according to its accounts. Profits at the ride-hailing firm grew by 1.6m to 4.6m. London has been one of Uber's most important international markets outside the US, with the ride-hailing company turning a profit in the UK even as it withdraws from costly operations in South East Asia and targets profitability ahead of a planned 2019 float. Uber has faced a struggle with regulators over its future in London. In September last year, Transport for London refused to renew Uber's licence over issues of passenger safety, although the company was allowed to keep operating while it appealed. The ruling was overturned by a court in June. The company has also seen several rivals launch in the city, all of which let riders book private hire vehicles through similar smartphone apps. Uber faces a further court battle later in October against drivers who have claimed further workplace rights from the company. Uber has maintained its drivers are self-employed. An Uber spokesman said: We continue to invest in expanding across the UK with more than five million riders and 60,000 licensed drivers now using our app. Over the last year weve introduced a number of improvements for both passengers and drivers, from 24/7 telephone support to free sickness, injury, maternity and paternity protections." Meanwhile, Airbnb, an online holiday booking platform and fellow US tech giant, reported it had boosted revenues at its UK-based company. Airbnb Payments Ltd, which accounts for sales of all Airbnb's operations outside of the US, China and India, recorded revenues of $280m (213m) last year, up from $194m. Like Uber, Airbnb is also targeting an initial public offering in 2019. It recorded international profits of $1.2m and paid $282,000 of UK corporation tax. The United Nations has detained one of its peacekeepers suspected of sexually abusing minors in the Central African Republic (CAR), the UN's MINUSCA mission there said Friday. The latest alleged incident was just the latest in a string of cases implicating the blue helmets. The UN had identified the suspect, a Mauritanian national, and placed him in "confinement" pending an enquiry into the alleged crimes in the south of the country last month, said the force. Three alleged victims have been sent for medical and psychological testing. "Due to the seriousness of these allegations and the information gathered by the preliminary fact-finding mission, the United Nations took immediate and appropriate measures, including the confinement of the one suspect who has been identified," MINUSCA said in its statement. A team of investigators had been sent to the scene to collect evidence and identify any other perpetrators. MINUSCA chief Parfait Onanga-Anyanga backed the UN secretary general's zero-tolerance policy on sexual crimes committed by their peacekeepers. The case is just the latest in a series of allegations of sex abuse against UN peacekeepers. Peacekeepers have also been accused of failing to help civilians caught up in violence, notably in the Central African Republic and South Sudan. Last month, the UN Security Council unanimously passed a resolution aimed at toughening the UN response to peacekeeper misconduct following a string of such failures. The United States, the top contributor to the UN's $6.9-billion peacekeeping budget, has moved to cut funding, raising concern about the performance of missions. On Tuesday, a UN spokesman announced that a Nigerian policeman serving as a peacekeeper in the Democratic Republic of Congo had been sent home and barred from peacekeeping after an investigation found he had sexually exploited a woman. MINUSCA has been present in impoverished and unstable Central African Republic since 2014 and includes troops from 20 nations. One of the world's poorest and most unstable countries, the CAR spiralled into bloodshed after longtime leader Francois Bozize was overthrown in 2013 by a mainly Muslim rebel alliance called the Seleka. The United Nations has 96,000 peacekeepers serving in 14 missions worldwide. Zimbabwe has begun an oral vaccination drive to curb a cholera outbreak which has claimed at least 49 lives over the past month, a WHO official said Friday. The cholera outbreak, first detected outside Harare on September 5, prompted the health ministry to declare an emergency in the capital. With 9,000 suspected cases so far, the disease has spread to other towns as well as rural areas across the country. Authorities have banned public gatherings in Harare while health ministry personnel are supervising the burial of victims "The oral cholera vaccination is targeting 1.4 million people in high-density areas from the age of one with one dose, Marc Poncin, a WHO vaccination expert in Harare, told AFP. "A second dose will be provided within six months in order to provide at least three years' protection," he said adding that the protection was temporary and that the best way to prevent cholera remained "improved water, sanitation and hygiene". Residents attended health centres in the capital Friday for their first dose. I came here so get vaccination.... Too many people have died of the disease. Its scary," said Noreen Mahiya, 20. Cholera outbreaks occur regularly in Zimbabwean cities where supplies of drinking water and sanitation facilities are erratic and infrastructure has collapsed due to years of neglect. Zimbabwe, which was ruled by Robert Mugabe from independence in 1980 until his ouster last year, suffered its worst cholera outbreak in 2008. Around 4,000 people died and at least 100,000 people fell ill. President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who succeeded Mugabe, has pledged to tackle the current outbreak which he called "this medieval disease". Non-Violent Offender's Gun Rights Restored By Stephen Gutowski. October 4th, 2018 A federal judge restored the rights of a Pennsylvania man on Friday after determining that his misdemeanor driving under the influence convictions were not serious enough to justify a lifelong restriction on his Second Amendment rights. Chief Judge Christopher Conner of the United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania ruled that Raymond Holloway's second misdemeanor DUI conviction in 2005 was not a serious enough crime to result in a lifetime abridgment of one of his constitutional rights. Connor applied the standard set in the landmark case Binderup v. the U.S. Attorney General where the Third Circuit Court of Appeals found those convicted of certain nonviolent offenses can't be barred from owning firearms for the rest of their lives. He said the government had failed to show that Holloway's misdemeanor DUI convictions meant he should be disarmed for life. ....... Innate rights cannot be taken away, but they can often be put 'on hold' or diminished when it comes to punishment for law breaking. The debate over whether rights should or should not be returned to normal after a punishment has long continued, in particular as to whether there is a felony or a misdemeanor and whether violence is or is not involved. There are too many cases where a misdemeanor is used to deprive gun rights but this case usefully shows a sensible judgement and should set a precedent. "You don't have to be Jewish to fight by our side." You just have to love freedom. 2018 JPFO All rights reserved. jpfo@jpfo.org 1-800-869-1884 Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership 12500 NE 10th Pl. Bellevue, WA 98005 USA "America's most aggressive defender of civil rights" We make the NRA look like moderates Join JPFO Back to Top The British artist Banksy managed to pull off what many are calling one of the most daring and audacious pranks in the art world as one of his paintings self-destructed moments after it was sold for $1.4 million at auction. The work, Girl With Balloon, obtained a winning bid of 860,000 pounds, which came out to 1.042 million pounds once the buyers premium is taken into account. That was more than three times the estimate and a record. Advertisement Then those who were at the Friday night auction suddenly heard an alarm go off. Everyone turned round, and the picture had slipped through its frame, Morgan Long, the head of art investment at the London-based advisory firm the Fine Art Group, said. The painting passed through a shredder that had been installed in the frame and by the time it was carried out, most of the work was hanging in strips from the bottom of the frame. Weve been Banksy-ed, Alex Branczik, Sothebys head of contemporary art in Europe, said at a news conference afterward. We have not experienced this situation in the past, where a painting is spontaneously shredded upon achieving a record for the artist. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Banksy posted a video on Instagram Saturday showing how he built a shredder into the painting in case it was ever put out for auction. Although Banksy has previously expressed disdain for the art market, his actions may have actually increased the value of the work. It is normal for an auction house not to expect a buyer to go through with a purchase if the work was damaged somehow. But in this case, experts speculated the painting could now be even more valuable given its status as the subject of one of the greatest pranks to have been played on the art market, notes the Financial Times. Pierre Koukjian, an artist who was at the auction, told the Associated Press the buyer was very lucky to own the now-historic piece. He said the prank was a turning point in the history of contemporary and conceptual art. Koukjian, who has met Banksy, said he thought he caught a glimpse of the artist as confusion reigned at the auction about what happened. Some said they saw security escort a man out of the building. Advertisement The website MyArtBroker.com, which resells Banksy pieces, agreed the piece had suddenly become much more valuable after the prank. This is now part of art history in its shredded state and wed estimate Banksy has added at a minimum 50% to its value, possibly as high as being worth 2m plus, the website said in a statement. Advertisement So far the auction house has not revealed much information about what will happen next. The successful bidder was a private collector, bidding through a Sothebys staff member on the phone. We are currently in discussions about next steps, Sothebys said in a statement without identifying the buyer. Some, however, have their suspicions that Sothebys may have actually known this was going to happen. The New York Times explains: On Monday, Donald Trump referred to sexual misconduct allegations against new Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh as a hoax set up by the Democrats. While Trump put his own typically hyperbolic spin on the talking point, other Republicans have been saying for some time that Kavanaugh is the victim of a character assassination campaign orchestrated by elected Dems and their wealthy left-wing co-conspirators. Last week, Republican Iowa Senator and Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Chuck Grassley angrily declared that Democrats have just about destroyed a good person and told CNBC that he suspected anti-Kavanaugh protesters were being paid by liberal philanthropist George Soros. Texas Senator and Judiciary Committee member John Cornyn compared Kavanaugh to Tom Robinson, the black victim of a bogus rape accusation (and target of an attempted lynching) in To Kill a Mockingbird. Republican Sen. Susan Collins, explaining her deciding vote in favor of Kavanaughs confirmation on Friday, called his nomination hearings a dysfunctional circus and complained of dark money interest groups driving American discourse to a rock bottom level. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Its not just partisan hacks making the argument: Kavanaugh described himself as the victim of a coordinated and well-funded smear campaign in his Senate response to Christine Blasey Ford, and his supporters in the ostensibly highbrow, Trump-averse conservative punditsphere have adopted the claim as well. The notion has even crept into the analysis of avowedly reasonable, centrist-respected figures like the New York Times David Brooks and Republican Nebraska Sen. Ben Sasse. Kavanaugh has become a pinball in the partisan politics of personal destruction, Brooks wrote; Sasse, who elsewhere has prominently defended the credibility and honor of sexual assault victims, said that he was heartbroken for Kavanaugh and blamed Democrats for turning his confirmation hearings into a made-for-TV circus. Advertisement With this in mind, lets review how the most prominent allegations against Kavanaugh were made, limiting ourselves just to individuals whove identified themselves publicly. Christine Blasey Ford, a psychology professor in Northern California, contacted the Washington Post and her local congressional representative when she saw that Kavanaugh was being considered for a SCOTUS nomination. She says she remembers Kavanaugh and one of his classmates, Mark Judge, attempting to rape her in 1982 while they were very drunk. Advertisement Deborah Ramirez, a city employee in Boulder, Colorado, came forward to the New Yorker to accuse Kavanaugh of having exposed himself to her while intoxicated when they were both freshmen at Yale. Two other Yale alumsa theological history professor from New Jersey and an ER doctor from Californiatold the New Yorker they remember hearing about such an incident at the time. Advertisement Several classmates of Kavanaughs came forward to dispute his claims, made in a Fox News interview and Senate testimony during which he disputed Fords and Ramirezs allegations, that he never behaved belligerently or inappropriately while drunk and had never been drunk enough to have caused gaps in his memory. One of those people is an oncologist in Washington, one is a history professor in North Carolina, one is the COO of a health care company in Pennsylvania, and another works in software in the Bay Area. The health care executive, Lynne Brookes, says further that she specifically remembers Kavanaugh and a friend drunkenly breaking into a room where a female classmate was involved in a sexual encounter in order to embarrass her. Advertisement Advertisement Police records in New Haven, Connecticut, also cut against Kavanaughs claims about his demeanor while drinking, indicating that he was questioned by police after being accused of instigating a bar fight with a man who was then attacked with a beer glass by one of Kavanaughs friends. Advertisement What we have here, then, is either: A) A Democratic conspiracy to plant operatives close to Kavanaugh in the 1980s, including one whose job was to, I guess, frame him for a UB40-related bar fight, then disperse those operatives across the country for decades to establish themselves in nonpolitics careers until the time was right to ruin his Supreme Court nomination. Or: B) The cumulative result of individual decisions to come forward to reporters, law enforcement authorities, and elected representatives with information relevant to Kavanaughs fitness to serve in a high officeoften directly in response to claims Kavanaugh made to defend himself from initial allegations. Advertisement Respectable conservatives like Sasse and the writers at the Weekly Standard have pinned their case that Kavanaugh has been wronged on Democratic Sen. Dianne Feinsteins failure to bring Fords initially confidential letter of allegations to the attention of the Judiciary Committee over the summer, when it might have been investigated privately and without the partisan smear-taint of a Democrat-orchestrated media circus. Its true that we dont know why Feinstein sat on the letter so long or who then leaked its contents to the press; its also true that Ford and Ramirez retained attorneys with connections to Democratic politics and had their allegations amplified by Democratic politicians. Advertisement At the same time, these accusers and witnesses had absolutely zero chance of having their testimony taken seriously by the Republicans who, given the way our government works, are the only other people who would have been in a position to do anything. The judiciary staffer leading the committees Kavanaugh background investigation responded to Fords allegations by tweeting that he was still determined to confirm Judge Kavanaugh. The judiciary spokesman who initially handled its response to Fords allegations worked for the same right-wing PR firm that promoted an insane conspiracy theory that implied one of Kavanaughs classmates was the real rapist; that spokesman also turned out to have left a previous job after being accused of sexual harassment. Republican judiciary member Orrin Hatch responded to Ramirezs allegation by saying it was phony on the grounds that I know it is, thats why. Advertisement Advertisement Assuming that a good-faith request for a confidential investigation somehow made it through that group of impartial woman-trusters, it would have been supervised by the White House Counsels Office, whose initial instructions to the FBI for this weeks abbreviated reinvestigation of Kavanaugh were so narrow that they prompted Republican judiciary member and Arizona Sen. Jeff Flake to call for a real investigation that wasnt just set up to give Republicans cover to vote for the nominee. The White House Counsels Office is, of course, also nominally supervised by a president who regularly derides the FBI as an instrument of the Democratic Deep State and who belittled Ford at a rally this week by mockingly and incorrectly claiming that she didnt remember whether her assault had taken place upstairs or downstairs. The idea that this Judiciary Committee and this White House would ever have responsibly supervised and responded to an impartial, confidential FBI investigation into allegations against Kavanaugh is farcical. That Democratic legislators, Fords attorneys, and other allies of hers and Ramirezs would ultimately choose to circumvent that process and make their case in public is not a sign that they were acting as cynical agents of a leftist smear conspiracy but rather a sign that they possess simple common sense. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement There actually was, by contrast, a set of Kavanuagh accusations that was promoted irresponsibly by a Democratic activist who seemed to be nakedly exploiting them to advance his own aspirations: those made by Julie Swetnick, whos represented by aspiring 2020 candidate Michael Avenatti. But NBC and other outlets have reported skeptically on Swetnicks story, and Democratic politicians generally treated them with caution relative to the allegations made by Ford and Ramirez. While some Democratic judiciary members discussed Swetnick after she initially released her sworn declaration about Kavanaugh, the party did not subsequently press her claims as a reason to vote Kavanaugh down. In any case, Avenattis questionable behavior doesnt discredit allegations that were made earlier and pursued by individuals who dont have any connection to him. Advertisement Advertisement The Republican argument that Kavanuagh was smeared has often been accompanied by crocodile tears over the purportedly-just-as-abhorrent way that Democrats have exploited Christine Blasey Ford. Ford did initially ask for confidentiality, and Democrats, like all politicians do regarding every issue, engaged in grandstanding about her claims. One other thing Ford was very consistent about requesting, though, was for Congress to reject Kavanaugh as unfit to serve on the Supreme Court. Perhaps those claiming to have her interests in mind while supporting Kavanaughs confirmationand describing Ford as a mixed-up, memory-addled lightweight too confused to realize shes being used in a hoaxshould think twice about just who exactly is being smeared. This post was updated with Donald Trumps Monday comments. Sen. Susan Collins Friday speech announcing her decision to support Brett Kavanaughs elevation to the Supreme Court revealed that her vote had never really been in doubt. The Republican senator declared herself undecided until the last possible minute, but it now appears that this very public ambivalence was a charade. Collins address started as a bad-faith attack on Democrats, then transformed into an astoundingly naive defense of Kavanaughs jurisprudence. It concluded with a condescending sop to Christine Blasey Ford, who accused Kavanaugh of sexual assault, suggesting that shed misidentified her alleged assailant. The speech might as well have been written by Mitch McConnell and Ed Whelan. It was an embarrassment and a travesty. Advertisement Collins began in full own-the-libs mode, condemning the special interest groups that raced to oppose Kavanaugh. This criticism is astonishingly hypocritical. Anti-Kavanaugh organizations have been consistently outspent by pro-Kavanaugh forcesparticularly the Judicial Crisis Network, a dark-money group funded largely by a single anonymous donor. JCN spent more than $12 million boosting Kavanaugh, far outpacing Demand Justices $5 million anti-Kavanaugh push. Moreover, JCN pioneered the kind of special interest campaign for Supreme Court justices that Collins bemoaned. It spent $10 million promoting Justice Neil Gorsuch, and $7 million opposing Merrick Garland. Liberal groups like Demand Justice were formed to counteract JCN, and they havent (yet) resorted to the smear tactics for which JCN is notorious. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then Collins asserted that these special interest groups whipped their followers into a frenzy by spreading misrepresentations and outright falsehoods about Judge Kavanaughs judicial record. Her implication was that the thousands of Americans who have written, called, and pleaded with their senators to vote against Kavanaugh were misled sheep responding to propaganda. Collins essentially disparaged her constituents on the Senate floor, portraying them as gullible fools. It was an ironic critique given that Collins proceeded to reel off talking points about Kavanaughs jurisprudence that reflected a profound misunderstanding of the law. First, she suggested that Kavanaugh is some kind of judicial minimalistthat he has argued for severing an unconstitutional provision of legislation as surgically as possible while allowing the overall law to remain intact. In reality, Kavanaugh wrote that Supreme Court precedent says that when a law gives an executive agency too much independence from the president, that independence must be severed. Thats itKavanaugh was quoting SCOTUS in a highly specific and technical area of the law. Once on the Supreme Court, he may well agree with Justice Clarence Thomas that, when one part of a law is unconstitutional, the whole act must be struck down. Advertisement Later, Collins insisted that Kavanaugh struck a compromise in a case challenging Obamacares contraceptive mandate. She said he incurred the disfavor of both sides of the political spectrum by seeking to ensure the availability of contraceptive services for women while minimizing the involvement of employers with religious objections. And though his critics frequently overlook this point, Collins declared, Kavanaugh wrote that the Supreme Court precedent strongly suggested that there was a compelling interest in facilitating access to birth control. Collins disparaged her constituents on the Senate floor, portraying them as gullible fools. It appears that Collins totally misunderstands this case, Priests for Life v. HHS. What Kavanaugh actually said is that the government could not require religious employers to sign a form announcing their opposition to birth control so that a third party could provide it instead. It was not a compromise at all; in fact, it evinced profound hostility to the contraception mandate. Collins fixation on his compelling interest language is asinine. Kavanaugh merely acknowledged that, in Hobby Lobby, the Supreme Court strongly suggests that birth control access is a compelling interest. He then asserted that the mandate did not provide the least restrictive means of furthering that interest and must therefore be blocked. Religious conservatives did not disfavor his opinion. Rather, it gave them everything they wanted, subverting employees access to contraception. Collins claim to the contrary is a fantasy. Advertisement Advertisement Advertisement Then there is Collins insistence that Kavanaugh follows precedent and would therefore refrain from overturning Roe v. Wade. He believes, she said, that precedent is not something to be trimmed, narrowed, discarded, or overlooked. How, then, does she explain Kavanaughs opinion in Garza v. Hargan? In that case, the Trump administration barred an undocumented minor in federal custody from obtaining an abortion even though she had already received judicial bypass from a judge, as required by state law. Kavanaugh wrote that this flat ban was perfectly constitutional, because the Supreme Court has not granted minors a right to immediate abortion on demand. Thats true, as far as it goes: The Supreme Court has ruled that states may force minors to get their parents consent before terminating a pregnancy or, if thats impossible, to obtain a judicial bypass. It has not, however, authorized additional restraints on minors, like the ones imposed by the Trump administration. How did Kavanaugh contend with these precedents, which clearly establish the maximum obstacles the government can place before minors seeking an abortion? He ignored them. Kavanaugh willfully overlooked precedent to reach an anti-abortion ruling, illustrating exactly how hell gut Roe once he joins the Supreme Court. Advertisement Advertisement The rest of Collins speech was an insult to Americans intelligence. She pointed out that Justices Sandra Day OConnor, Anthony Kennedy, and David Souter were appointed by Republicans but voted to uphold Roe. Thats correct, and its why the Republican legal establishments refrain is No More Souters. Its why the Federalist Society created a network of conservative lawyers unified by their opposition to Roe. Its why Donald Trump, who campaigned on overturning Roe, outsourced judicial nominations to the Federalist Society. And its why Kavanaugh, a Federalist Society loyalist, was selected for this seat. Collins concluded by delivering a modified Ed Whelan defense of Kavanaugh, stating that Ford must have been assaulted by somebody else. It was a perfectly disingenuous capstone to her dishonest speech. The senator said nothing revealing or insightful on Friday. Collins praised her allies, discredited her opponents, and dismissed the concerns of her constituents. She did not sound like a statesperson carefully weighing a crucial decision. She sounded like a partisan hack. Page Content OAR Temporary Suspensions: Governor Kate Brown declared certain rules be suspended for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency. Governor Kate Brown declared certain rules be suspended for the duration of the COVID-19 state of emergency. See the list of Temporary Suspended Rules on oregon.gov. Access Oregon Administrative Rules Database (OARD) Welcome to the database for the Oregon Administrative Rules. You have all the rules and filings for Oregon in one easy to search location. Public Access Search rules by chapter or rule number, search filings, or see the Oregon Bulletin. Search rules by chapter or rule number, search filings, or see the Oregon Bulletin. Search Rules Agency Access Submit filings and minor corrections to rules. Submit filings and minor corrections to rules. Log in About the OARs Every OAR uses the same numbering sequence of a three-digit chapter number followed by a three-digit division number and a four-digit rule number. For example, Oregon Administrative Rules, chapter 166, division 500, rule 0020 is cited as OAR 166-500-0020. Changes to existing Rules are listed chronologically in abbreviated form, with the most recent change last. For example, "OSA 4-1993, f. & cert. ef. 11-10-93," means this was the 4th administrative rule filing by the Oregon State Archives in 1993; and "f. & cert. ef. 11-10-93" means the rule was filed and certified effective on Nov. 10, 1993. The official copy of an Oregon Administrative Rule is the Administrative Order filed at the Archives Division. Any discrepancies with the published version are satisfied in favor of the Administrative Order. Administrative Rules are created by most agencies and some boards and commissions to implement and interpret their statutory authority (ORS 183.310(9)). Agencies may adopt, amend, repeal or renumber rules, permanently or temporarily(for up to 180 days). Bathana-Biratnagar rail by October end Railway service between Bathana, India, and Biratnagar is set to start within a month, according to officials. Bengal tigers streak in parks, but protection is a challenge Nepal needs to continue with its conservation efforts to protect its tiger population, conservationists have said. Burning, raging In how many ways can you write on loyalties in times of war, fragility and manipulation? Karachi-born author Kamila Shamsie has just done this, for the seventh time, in her latest novel Home Fire. Through her usual brilliant writing, she makes the subject matter seem as novel, raw and hard-hitting as if she were exploring this politically fraught and religion-ridden world for the very first time. Mountain Shadows in Wayanad is just the place for a dreamy vacation Prithvi Man Shrestha is a political reporter for The Kathmandu Post, covering the governance-related issues including corruption and irregularities in the government machinery. Before joining The Kathmandu Post in 2009, he worked at nepalnews.com and Rising Nepal primarily covering the issues of political and economic affairs for three years. Congress meeting put off over charter row The Central Working Committee (CWC) meeting of Nepali Congress, which was scheduled to take place on Friday, was deferred by three days, owing to the dispute in the partys student wing, Nepal Student Union. Duo who jumped from window during gambling raid die Two persons, who jumped out of a window of the third floor to escape police raid at a gambling den in Mulpani-7, Kathmandu on Friday, have died. When Kevin Spacey fell from grace his role in the film All the Money in the World was famously and speedily replaced by Christopher Plummer. The story of the 1973 kidnapping of J. Paul Getty III, grandson to billionaire J. Paul Getty, also forms the basis of Trust, a 10 part miniseries produced for FX. It comes with serious cachet: written by Simon Beaufoy (The Full Monty, Slumdog Millionaire), directed by Danny Boyle (Trainspotting, The Beach, Slumdog Millionaire, 28 Days Later) and starring Donald Sutherland. Sutherland plays the eccentric elderly oil baron, ensconced in Britain but with a family in such disarray he fears having no worthy heir. Getty has staff to dress him, brush his teeth, with a payphone in his mansion and taking notes of where every penny is spent. He also has a personal harem of 4 women, who are little more than his sexual playthings. Son John Paul Getty Jr. (Michael Esper) is desperate to win back the affections of his father, and inherit control of the company, under pressure from wife Gail (Hilary Swank). But there are serious addiction problems which do not impress his father. When his rebellious teenage grandson John Paul Getty III (Harris Dickinson) turns up unannounced, the elderly Getty warms to his intelligence and youth, declaring him the future of the company. But the teen has amassed his own debts in Rome and will prove a serious strain on the family when his life is endangered. I can always tell when one of my brood wants money, says the elderly Getty. Beaufoys tale is inspired by actual events, but its hard to know how much dramatic license has taken place here (it feels like a lot) in order to construct a super-soap with criminal elements. Putting that to one side, there is much to enjoy here and more than I had expected. Watching Donald Sutherland lord over the Getty clan with such cold brilliance is one such joy. The locations and backdrop are dripping in wealth but it unfolds without the glossy satire of Dirty Sexy Money. Harris Dickinson brings charisma to his role as the wayward grandson, if looking somewhat too old for a 15 year old heir (he was 17 in real life). Boyle injects some striking imagery to this canvas and the soundtrack authentically draws upon songs by Pink Floyd, David Bowie and The Rolling Stones, adding to the period British flavour. Theres even a bit of a #MeToo moment in the opening episode. Trust is an ultimate dysfunctional TV family, artfully weaving dramatic license across a bizarre true tale. Trust begins 9:30pm Sunday on FOX Showcase. By Sabina Zawadzki PRESTON, England (Reuters) - Shale gas developer Cuadrilla Resources expects to start gas fracking in northwest England next week, seven years after its first attempt to hydraulically fracture a well led to earth tremors, public protests and an overhaul of regulations. The process, behind a surge in U.S. gas production, involves fracturing rock deep under ground using a mixture of water, sand and chemicals to encourage the flow of hydrocarbons from shale, a dense and tightly-packed sedimentary rock. It has draw criticism from the public and campaigners concerned about the environmental impact of fracking and the pollution caused by fossil fuels. Protests against the practice led to work at Cuadrilla's site being halted in 2011. But the government, keen to cut Britain's reliance on gas imports which soared to more than 50 percent of gas supplies, has tightened regulations and earlier this year gave consent for Cuadrilla to go ahead again. Cuadrilla Chief Executive Francis Egan told Reuters that fracking of two wells and associated work would test gas flows. "From that we'll be able to make an assessment of how much gas is recoverable and whether it will be commercially viable to develop the site," he said on the muddy Preston New Road site. The industry's future in Europe may hinge on the outcome. Although fracking has grown rapidly in the United States, it has not been proved viable in Europe despite several attempts, including projects that failed in Poland five years ago. Fracking has been banned in France, Germany and several other European countries. Cuadrilla's well will be the first fracked horizontal well in Britain and the results will be watched by shale explorers such as IGas , Egdon and Third Energy, as well as majors like Exxon which was unsuccessful in Poland. The plans could also be delayed by an injunction hearing due on Oct. 10. Environment group Friends of the Earth said the injunction was sought by Bob Dennett, a resident in Lancashire, the English county where the project located. Story continues RESERVES The hearing "will decide whether the injunction is upheld or whether fracking can commence whilst there is an outstanding judicial review over emergency planning procedures at the site," Friends of the Earth said in a statement. Egan said this was a "last ditch, desperate attempt to slow us down" and said: "We think we have a very strong case to have that rejected and we will be in court next week arguing that." The British Geological Survey estimates shale gas resources in northern England alone could amount to 1,300 trillion cubic feet (tcf) of gas, 10 percent of which could meet the country's demand for almost 40 years. Britain has just 6.5 tcf in proved reserves and last year pumped 1.5 tcf, according to the BP Statistics Review. Proved reserves are the strictest calculation of oil and gas that can be commercially extracted. They change as discoveries are made. Cuadrilla, owned by Australian mining servicing company AJ Lucas and U.S. private equity fund Riverstone, said resource estimates were about 330 tcf for its licence area. Cuadrilla's aimed to test a consultancy estimate that a single 2.5 km (1.25 mile) well would produce 6 billion cubic feet (bcm) of gas over its lifetime or about 5 million cubic feet a day, Egan said. If the tests are positive, Cuadrilla has permission for two more wells at the site located next to a road connecting the northern English towns of Preston and Blackpool. Cuadrilla has enough funds for the current tests. Its shareholder Riverstone, a $38 billion private equity fund, has invested in U.S. shale firms such as pipeline operator Kinder Morgan. (Additional reporting by Susanna Twidale in London; Editing by Jan Harvey and Edmund Blair) (Reuters) - Danske Bank faces a widening investigation into suspected money laundering at its Estonian branch. Denmark's biggest lender released a report last month showing the branch handled 200 billion euros ($230 billion) in transactions - 10 times Estonia's GDP - between 2007 and 2015. It said of the approximately 6,200 accounts it had examined so far that most were linked to clients registered in Russia, Britain and the British Virgin Islands and "the vast majority of these customers have been deemed suspicious". The following timeline summarises recent developments: Oct 5 - Danske's shares are dragged to a four-year low on Friday as it seeks to reassure investors over the impact of a U.S. criminal investigation into its Estonian branch. Oct 4 - Danske says it has "received requests for information from the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) in connection with a criminal investigation relating to the bank's Estonian branch". Oct 4 - Danske halts a share buyback programme 3.2 billion Danish crowns ($493 million) short of its target of 10 billion after Denmark's Financial Services Authority raised Danske's capital requirements, citing a rise in its "compliance and reputational risks". Oct 2 - The European Parliament invites a whistleblower in the Danske scandal to testify before its special committee on financial crimes, tax evasion and tax avoidance on Nov. 21. Danish newspaper Berlingske a week earlier named him as Howard Wilkinson, Danske's former head of trading in the Baltics. Oct 1 - Less than two weeks after saying CEO Thomas Borgen would stay on until a replacement is found, Danske appoints Jesper Nielsen, head of its Danish banking business, as interim chief executive with immediate effect. Sept 21 - Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) says it is "aware of the use of UK registered companies in this case and has related on-going operational activity". Story continues Sept 19 - Danske Bank CEO Thomas Borgen resigns pending the selection of a successor after the bank publishes a report on suspected money laundering in Estonia. Borgen tells a news conference: "Even though I was personally cleared from a legal point of view, I hold the ultimate responsibility. There is no doubt that we as an organisation have failed in this situation." Aug 6 - Denmark's state prosecutor announces the start of a criminal investigation into Danske over alleged money laundering through its Estonian branch. July 31 - Estonia's general prosecutor announces the start of a criminal investigation into Danske over alleged money laundering through its Estonian branch. July 25 - Estonia's prosecutor's office confirms U.S. investor Bill Browder, once the biggest foreign money manager in Russia, has filed a criminal complaint concerning Danske. July 12 - Bill Browder says he has filed a criminal complaint with Danish authorities against Danske. Browder leads a campaign against Russian officials he blames for the 2009 death of his Russian lawyer Sergei Magnitsky while investigating fraud. (Compiled by Jason Neely; edited by Alexander Smith) Fundamental questions are being raised about the ability of governments to stop the Earth from spiralling into a hothouse. Photograph: Peter van der Sleen/University o/PA This week, hundreds of scientists and government officials from more than 190 countries have been buzzing around a convention centre in the South Korean city of Incheon. They are trying to agree on the first official release of a report the bit called the Summary for Policymakers that pulls together all of whats known about how the world might be affected once global warming gets to 1.5C. What will happen to coral reefs? How will extreme weather events and droughts change? What about heatwaves? And then, what are the different pathways that economies could choose to keep temperatures to 1.5C? On Monday morning, the summary document is expected to be released, and there will be a cascade of headlines around the world. The report, being pulled together by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, was one tiny part of the Paris climate change agreement. As things stand, if you add up all the things that the 190-plus countries have committed to do as part of that Paris deal, global temperatures will probably go well above 3C. Were already at 1C of warming, so the extra half a degree isnt far away many scientists will say its already locked in, while others say there are plausible ways to stabilise temperatures at that level. But in August, one of the worlds leading scientific journals the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences published a perspective article that has become known as the hothouse earth paper. There was no new science in the paper and while it was speculative, it did raise fundamental questions about the ability of governments around the world to stop the Earth from spiralling into a hothouse. I think the dominant linear, deterministic framework for assessing climate change is flawed Will Steffen One of the reports authors, Professor Will Steffen, of Australian National University and the Stockholm Resilience Centre, talked me through it. The problem lies with feedbacks in the supplementary information attached to the paper, Steffen and colleagues actually listed 10 of them. With each, they include estimates of how much extra CO2 and temperature they could add once you hit about 2C of global warming. Story continues For example, the ability of the land and ocean to keep soaking up CO2 could weaken, giving you an extra 0.25C of warming. Dieback of trees in the Amazon and subarctic could give us another 0.1C. Permafrost, which is already starting to defy its name by not being all that permanent, could release ever more methane and carbon that might add a bit more warming again (0.09C is the estimate there). The point is that once you add them all up, you get close to 0.5C of warming by the end of the century. Given were already at 1C of global warming, that makes the job of keeping warming well below 2C or even holding it at 1.5C much, much harder than it already is. And theres the rub. While governments have the means to affect how much CO2 gets released through policies that radically cut the use of fossil fuels, it would be much harder to get a grip on thawing permafrosts, mass forest collapses or the loss of polar sea ice. By failing to get a grip on a thing thats feasibly under your control, we end up risking the release a whole gang of other monsters that we cant. This gets us to another big issue, says Steffen, because climate models dont include some of these feedbacks. In essence, the warmer things get, the less reliable the models become. He tells me: I think the dominant linear, deterministic framework for assessing climate change is flawed, especially at higher levels of temperature rise. So, yes, model projections using models that dont include these processes indeed become less useful at higher temperature levels. Or, as my co-author John Schellnhuber says, we are making a big mistake when we think we can park the Earth System at any given temperature rise say 2C and expect it to stay there. For those who understand the idea of a carbon budget where scientists have calculated how much CO2 you could emit before hitting certain temperature rises it looks even meaner than before if Steffen and his colleagues are right. But as they also point out, several of these feedbacks might have tipping points that then set off a cascade of other issues. Steffen says: Even at the current level of warming of about 1C above pre-industrial, we may have already crossed a tipping point for one of the feedback processes (Arctic summer sea ice), and we see instabilities in others permafrost melting, Amazon forest dieback, boreal forest dieback and weakening of land and ocean physiological carbon sinks. And we emphasise that these processes are not linear and often have built-in feedback processes that generate tipping point behaviour. For example, for melting permafrost, the chemical process that decomposes the peat generates heat itself, which leads to further melting and so on. For the record, Steffen thinks the assumptions in climate models that cuts in fossil fuel emissions will deliver relative cuts in temperatures is OK for perhaps lower temperature rises of 1.5 or 2C but beyond that, hes sceptical. The paper has received a bit of pushback from scientists, largely, it appears, because of the sensational headlines it attracted. For example, Professor Richard Betts, of the UKs MetOffice, has a measured perspective thats well worth a look. Dr Glen Peters, an Australian scientist and climate modeller based at the Centre for International Climate Research in Norway, also thought some of the media coverage went too far with the doomsday vibe. But he told me that while it was true that many of the feedbacks in the paper were not well covered by climate models, this was partly because they were not that well understood. Ill leave you with his thoughts: RIGA (Reuters) - Latvia's pro-Russian party Harmony, regularly the biggest party but never in government, looks set to top polls again in Saturday's general election, but pro-Europe parties registered strong gains, an exit poll suggested. The poll conducted by national broadcaster LTV said Harmony got 19.4 percent while Prime Minister Maris Kucinskis' party Union of Greens and Farmers got 9.7 percent and populist newcomers KPV LV got 11.5 percent. In an upset, liberal party the Development/For got 13.4 percent and the conservative National Alliance got 12.6 percent. Both have strongly pro-European stances. The current ruling coalition of Union of Greens and Farmers, the National Alliance and Unity together got 29.2 percent, meaning they would have to find at least one other coalition member to form a majority government. (Reporting by Johan Ahlander and Gederts Gelzis, Editing by William Maclean) BERLIN (Reuters) - A man drove a car into a cafe in the Charlottenburg district of Berlin, injuring several people but there are no indications that the incident is terrorism-related, German police said on Friday. "According to the initial findings of our colleagues on the scene, the driver had health problems," Berlin police said on Twitter, giving no further details. "There are no signs of terrorism," a police spokesman said, adding that it was more likely to have been an accident caused by the driver losing control because he was unwell. Germany is on high alert for militant attacks, almost two years after a Tunisian Islamist rammed a hijacked truck into a Christmas market in central Berlin, killing 11 people as well as the driver. (Reporting by Michelle Martin; Editing by Joseph Nasr and Maria Sheahan) See Also: Oasis ex-frontman Noel Gallagher has claimed he would reform the band if it would stop Jeremy Corbyn from becoming the prime minister. The musician, who is a vocal critic of the Labour Party leader, was asked by TalkSport if hed rather reunite Oasis or see Corbyn elected. He replied: Id have to get the band back together, I think. I dont want that lunatic running the country. Last year, during promotion for his band High Flying Birdss album Who Built the Moon?, Gallagher said in an interview: F**k Jeremy Corbyn. Hes a Communist. And Trumps aaIm not even going to name him. But they dont affect my life. Well, Donald Trump, maybe, because his views on the environment are pretty f**king scary, and that will affect my children. But politicians? Theyre f**king idiots. Theyre economiststhats all they are. Theyre f**king full of shit, and I should know because Ive known quite a few of them. The rock star had publicly supported Tony Blairs New Labour in 1997 but has said he was disappointed by their actions in government. Speaking as somebody from the left, I thought the New Labour years, coming up to 1997, were amazing. It was so exciting to be in England at the time, because there were so many things going on, he said in a 2016 interview. But then, the Labour Party proved themselves to be Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, and until that changes, Im not having it. Alan Brazil: Which is more likely to happen: Jeremy Corbyn becoming Prime Minister or you and @LiamGallagher getting Oasis back together? Noel: "Oh my god... I'd have to get the band back together!" This was brilliant... pic.twitter.com/vTaxEYWEfu talkSPORT (@talkSPORT) October 5, 2018 He also made clear his distaste for the Conservative Party, adding: "The Tories dont care about the vulnerable, and the communists dont care about the aspirational." Follow Independent Culture on Facebook for all the latest on Film, TV, Music, and more An influential figure in the UK pensions industry is to lead a new vehicle targeting the consolidation of hundreds of billions of pounds-worth of liabilities in private sector retirement schemes. Sky News has learnt that Chris Hitchen is to be named as the founding chairman of the Pension SuperFund (PSF), which wants to become Britain's first giant pension pool for companies wrestling with ballooning scheme deficits. The appointment of Mr Hitchen, who ran the rail industry's 28bn pension scheme RPMI Railpen for well over a decade, is expected to be announced on Friday. He currently chairs the Border to Coast Pensions Partnership, which manages about 46bn of pension assets on behalf of 12 local government pension scheme funds. Mr Hitchen's arrival will be announced alongside that of Wolf Becke, a former chief executive of Hannover Life, who will join the PSF's commitments committee - the panel responsible for examining prospective transactions with pension scheme sponsors. The duo's recruitment will provide a welcome boost to the new vehicle, which last month saw its chief executive and a big financial investor walk away following a disagreement about its strategy and pace of development. In total, there are about 6,000 defined-benefit pension schemes in the UK, with total liabilities of about 1.7trn. The PSF is the brainchild of Edi Truell, a former pensions adviser to Boris Johnson during his tenure as the mayor of London. Mr Truell, who previously headed the private equity firm Duke Street Capital and now runs Disruptive Capital Finance, is a prominent City figure. He has been a strong advocate for DB pension consolidation in the public and private sectors, arguing that such combined pools benefit from significant cost savings and avoid the duplication which curtails returns for thousands of individual schemes. Alan Rubenstein, the former chief executive of the industry-funded lifeboat, the Pension Protection Fund, had taken on the role of the PSF's inaugural chief executive, but has since been replaced by Luke Webster, who served as chief investment officer at the Greater London Authority. Story continues The SuperFund is set up to offer companies which want to offload their pension obligations a cheaper alternative to insuring their schemes with a private sector player such as Legal & General (LSE: LGEN.L - news) or Rothesay Life. Its model is designed to work by targeting better-funded private sector pension schemes whose trustees are capable of writing a cheque to allow them to offload their liabilities in full. The schemes will then be consolidated into the single "SuperFund", giving them the prospective cost and investment benefits associated with such a vast pool. There are approximately 500bn of assets in defined benefit schemes that could be considered by PSF, according to insiders. "Businesses that are constrained by their pension liabilities have a fundamental need to find a more affordable way to fulfil their promises to pension scheme members, and the positive response to the Pension SuperFund showcases the role consolidation can play in meeting that need and in providing a solution to the pressing issue of funding DB schemes," a PSF spokeswoman said. Both the government and the Pensions Regulator have expressed support for the principle of pension fund consolidation. High-profile corporate collapses which have affected workers' pensions, such as those at BHS and Carillion (Frankfurt: 924047 - news) , have also prompted ministers to create new powers to punish bosses who put their company's retirement schemes at risk. FNJ condemns Banskota comment Federation of Nepali Journalists (FNJ) has condemned Communication Minister Gokul Prasad Banskota for his prejudiced views on private media. FILE PHOTO: gas flare on an oil production platform in the Soroush oil fields is seen alongside an Iranian flag in the Gulf July 25, 2005. REUTERS/Raheb Homavandi/File Photo By Timothy Gardner WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Trump administration is actively considering waivers on sanctions it will reimpose next month for countries that are reducing their imports of Iranian oil, a U.S. government official said on Friday. The administration withdrew from a deal over Tehran's nuclear programme in May and is unilaterally reimposing sanctions on Iran's crude oil consumers on Nov. 4. The sanctions aim to force Tehran to stop its involvement in conflicts in Syria and Iraq and halt its ballistic missile programme. Iran says it has abided by the 2015 nuclear deal, which was struck with five other world powers, besides the United States. The administration is "in the midst of an internal process" of considering exceptions called SRE waivers, or significant reduction exemptions, said a government official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity. It was the first time a U.S. official said the administration was in the process of considering waivers. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said in India last month that the administration would consider waivers and that some buyers of Iranian oil would take a "little bit of time" to unwind their trade with Iran. White House National Security Adviser John Bolton said on Thursday that the administration's objective was that there be no waivers and "exports of Iranian oil and gas and condensates drops to zero." He added that the administration would not necessarily achieve that. The administration is "prepared to work with countries that are reducing their imports on a case-by-case basis," the official said. The comments followed news that India, Iran's No. 2 oil customer after China, will buy 9 million barrels of Iranian oil in November. It was an indication that India will continue purchasing crude from Iran, despite the Trump administration's push to get countries to stop their purchases. (Reporting by Timothy Gardner; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Tom Brown) Children pose for a group photo in a neighbourhood in Bamako, Mali - 1.4 Images The French military vehicle broke down in the unforgiving desert of northern Mali, 80 miles from the nearest base. Jihadists, bandits and armed villagers all criss-cross the arid plains, and attacks targeting French counter-terrorism forces are common. This time, however, following a commitment made by Prime Minister Theresa May to President Emmanuel Macron in January, an RAF Chinook airlifted the dust-whipped vehicle and its personnel to safety. The RAF deployed three helicopters and 120 personnel to Gao, northern Mali, in July, but their presence marks the tip of a much broader British pivot to the Sahel a renewed focus on West and Central Africas poorest and most insecure countries. We have carried a huge amount of troops and equipment between here and a forward operating base in the north, right up to the Algerian border, explained Wing Commander Matt Roberts, the most senior British presence on Gaos French base. Children wait for the armed forces to proceed at the military parade during the National Day military parade marking the 58th anniversary of Malian independence Credit: Xaume Olleros for The Telegraph Britain is still very much committed in security terms to our European partners, and France is an absolute stalwart in that relationship, he added. Although the deployment of troops does not serve direct British strategic or economic interests, it is aimed squarely at containing insecurity and limiting illegal migration that might otherwise spill over into Europe, officials and experts told the Sunday Telegraph. An increase in diplomatic, military and humanitarian assistance to Mali - as well as the opening of new embassies in Chad and Niger - will also help pacify European partners during increasingly bruising Brexit negotiations. Any help with security in the region is a boost in the war against illegal migration already dividing the EU. The restive Sahel strip hugs the southern Saharan desert. For southern European nations, whose borders are a short hop across North Africa, the deterioration of the Sahels security since the fall of Colonel Muammar Gaddafi in 2011 is especially troubling. Jihadists exploited a separatist uprising in northern Mali in 2012 to take over key towns and impose hardline sharia law in the north, including Gao, leading to a French military intervention to chase them out in January 2013. But Mali's army is still inefficient and prone to commit abuses against civilians, and the administration is largely dependent on foreign assistance. Story continues Five years on, the conflict has morphed into a cross-border jihadist insurgency intertwined with armed groups operating profitable smuggling routes for drugs, arms and people. Around 5,000 French troops operate across the Sahel, and have brought in their tailwind a 15,000-strong UN peacekeeping operation and a European Union training scheme for Malis struggling armed forces. It is into this fray that the RAF has entered, supporting the highly controversial French force known as Barkhane, which has faced accusations of killing civilians in airstrikes, and destroying homes in Gao by setting off explosions. If the British are going to repeat what the French are doing, its better if they stay at home, the MP for Gao, Ibrahim Dicko, told the Sunday Telegraph, later admitting he was not aware that the RAF were already present in Gao, or that the British role was limited to logistics and transport. A soldier from the Cambodian contingent demonstrates demining tools ahead of the visit of the Force Commander Jean Paul Deconinck of Belgium (not pictured) at the MINUSMA United Nations Supercamp Credit: Xaume Olleros for The Telegraph On a recent visit to the city accompanied by the UN peacekeeping mission, The Telegraph found a population living in fear despite a heavy presence of foreign troops. We are not living in security here. People pass through the checkpoint and get robbed a kilometre away. We just get by a la malienne, that is to say, by ourselves, complained Oumar Maiga, a tax collector, drinking tea next to a police post. UN peacekeepers patrol the streets slowly in white armoured vehicles, while Cambodian explosives experts scour the nearby countryside for the homemade bombs that have killed hundreds of soldiers and civilians. In July, a suicide bomber targeted Barkhane personnel on the outskirts of Gao, killing four civilians and wounding four French soldiers. The presence of foreign forces makes things worse, Maiga added pointedly. The UN force has suffered particularly badly, losing 104 blue helmets to malicious acts since 2013 and earning it the unenviable title of the worlds most deadly active peacekeeping mission. In rural areas, jihadists circulate freely and schools have stayed shut for years because of the insecurity, depriving a generation of Malian children of an education. Al-Qaeda and an Islamic State branch operate in Mali, while neighbouring Niger also suffers incursions from those terrorist groups, along with Boko Haram militants in its southeast. US Special Forces suffered an ambush in Niger last year that left four US personnel dead, though Washington has pledged to maintain support for French-led military operations. Meanwhile a joint force of five Sahel nations meant to replace the French force is struggling with funding, procuring weapons, and accusations of poor management. Its base was blown up in the town of Sevare in June. Malis security problems are exacerbated by the presence of armed groups who battle for territory in the north, and whose on-off ceasefire, signed in 2015, is punctuated by accusations of collaboration with jihadists. Youre a compliant armed group during the day and at nighttime youre a terrorist armed group element. The family relationships and ethnic ties a lot of times cross over, asserted Jayci Jiminez, a US Air Force captain who serves as an intelligence advisor to the UN peacekeeping mission. A woman walks by an UN vehicle carrying goods as she crosses a checkpoint on the outskirts of Gao Credit: Xaume Olleros for The Telegraph For Boubacar Dicko, the Vice-President of Gaos Chamber of Commerce, and the co-ordinator of pro-government armed group, these actions are about survival in an unforgiving economy. If you give a man nothing to eat, he lives by the force of his gun, he said, gesticulating to friends sat on plastic chairs in the street. Beyond security support, Britains Department for International Development (DFID) has also pledged to increase its own aid commitments to provide alternative employment to the criminal and jihadist groups fuelling unrest. DFID said in a document released in July it was increasing its engagement in the Sahel as part of increased UK government support to the region, adding the department was addressing the root causes of instability and pervasive poverty - which can indirectly increase the risk of violent extremism. On her visit to Africa in August, Theresa May pledged 145m million in family planning assistance for Sahel and northern Nigeria, and investment in the Sahels Conflict, Security and Stability Fund has already doubled this year to 8.7 million. Mali and Nigers average fertility rate is six-seven children per woman, exacerbating a lack of education funding and sky high unemployment. The future is unclear for several other projects, including funding for the EU military training programme, pending the results of Brexit negotiations. Mr Maiga, the tax collector in Gao, believes the roots of Malis conflicts can be traced back to the dire economic situation of the countrys north. Unemployment has got us where we are today. Most young people are unemployed and that aggravates our lack of security, he said. Thousands of young people from Mali risk their lives on the smuggling routes through the Sahara, Libya and the Mediterranean every year as a result, and Malians are the sixth largest source of arrivals to Italy by boat, according to the International Organisation for Migration (IOM). Back in Bamako, Malis capital, Britains embassy has already doubled the number of British nationals working there over the last 18 months, and is in the process of selecting property for its embassy and staff housing in Niamey, Niger. Protect yourself and your family by learning more about Global Health Security The Duke and Duchess of Sussex are preparing to embark on their first major overseas tour, with stops in Australia, New Zealand, Fiji and Tonga planned. They have an action-packed schedule of 76 engagements over 16 days, and according to a senior royal aide, their trip has been designed to reflect "the age of the Duke and Duchess and their interests". The aide added: "It's designed for the Duke and Duchess as a young married couple. It's a different type of visit from a single man's tour." Harry has been on countless overseas visits before, but this will be Meghan's first major tour and she will be visiting some countries she's never been to. She will also take on two engagements without her husband in Fiji and will be reunited with one of the charities she used to work with before her marriage, as she hears more about a UN Womens project called "Markets for Change". prince-harry-and-meghan-markle-sussex-visit Harry and Meghan are carrying out 76 engagements in 16 days The couple's royal tour will focus on youth leadership and projects being undertaken by young people to address the social, economic, and environmental challenges of the region. Harry is particularly keen to highlight these youth-led initiatives in his new role as Commonwealth Youth Ambassador, and to shine a light on the work and aspirations of young people across the Commonwealth. MORE: Kate's very artsy outing revealed - all the details A major focus of the tour is the Invictus Games, which will launch in Sydney for 2018. Harry and Meghan very poignantly made their first official appearance as a couple at the Invictus Games in Toronto last year, two months before they announced their engagement. Harry and Meghan visit their namesake county of Sussex: Loading the player... Their trip will also concentrate on environmental and conservation efforts, and a highlight will be a visit to the stunning Fraser Island. They will also get up close to koalas at Taronga Zoo and name a pair of Kiwi chicks in Rainbow Springs, New Zealand. Other highlights include meeting locals on Sydney's Bondi Beach, riding the tram in Melbourne and visiting Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand. Story continues MORE: Princess Eugenie shares special moment with sister Beatrice before royal wedding Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, will travel from 16 to 31 October, kicking off their tour in Sydney. But a few days before they jet off, the couple will attend Princess Eugenie's royal wedding on Friday 12 October in Windsor. Like this story? Sign up to our newsletter to get other stories like this delivered straight to your inbox. Fugitive former Kist Bank manager Gyawali arrested The police have arrested Kamal Gyawali, fugitive former managing director of then Kist Bank who has been absconding since 2016 after being convicted of financial crime. Kist Bank was part of a mega merger between multiple banks to form Prabhu Bank. Pagan Perspectives Back in 2013 and 2014, when I was getting ready to start gathering sources for my masters thesis in Old Norse Religion, I realized something: while the vast majority of medieval Norse-Icelandic sagas were readily accessible in Old Icelandic, quite a few of them were hard to get a hold of in translation. Sure, I could have soldiered on, armed with only my trusty Old Icelandic-English dictionary and go through every single saga in the original language, but it would have taken such a long time that, had I done so, Id probably still be at it today. What I needed were more general editions and translations, with enough notes and index-entries to quickly find relevant information. When it came to the more popular sagas, such as the so-called family-sagas (Islendingasogur), I had little problem finding good versions. In my excessive exhaustiveness, however, I found a severe lack of material related to the more obscure sagas. In particular, the Sagas of the Hrafnista Men (Hrafnistumannasogur), a series of four Medieval sagas following the lives of powerful North-Norwegian chieftains, were very hard to find. These could only be found in very rare books or questionable amateur translations. After a little researching, I was able to find a recently-released translated anthology of all four of the sagas, complete with a great introduction, an impressive number of notes and, thank the gods, an index. Surprisingly, the translator and editor for this impressive (and nearly life-saving) work wasnt a weathered philologist or literature scholar from Oxford, but an assistant professor in biology at the University of Central Arkansas by the name of Ben Waggoner. As I later learned, Waggoner, a native of Louisiana and a member of the Troth, wasnt a novice when it came to translating sagas. By the time his sagas of the Hrafnista men had come out, he had already published half a dozen other texts, including other legendary sagas (fornaldarsogur) and a number of Anglo-Saxon manuscripts. As opposed to most amateur authors, translators, and editors writing about Paganism and Heathenry, his work managed to uphold high standards of scholarship, to the point that I ended up mentioning his work in my now thankfully completed MA thesis. Since then, I have had the occasion to talk to Waggoner a couple of times online and read some of his books. As time went by, I became increasingly curious about how a biologist from the American south ended up as possibly the most prolific and talented translator and editor in contemporary Heathenry. As someone who has been involved in Norse scholarship and academia, I was also interested to hear his perspective on a number of issues related to the sagas, the Eddas, and translating in general. The following is based on a series of questions I sent in September and which Ben Waggoner had the courtesy to answer to the best of his abilities in, I quote, a modestly witty fashion. 1988 was the first time I met anyone who was openly Pagan of any sort, and the first time I heard about Asatru. I was a freshman at Tulane University in New Orleans and I used to spend weekend days on Jackson Square in the center of the French Quarter. Eventually, I was introduced to one of the tarot card readers on the square, an engaging and witty fellow named Jerik Daenarson who was leading a large neopagan group called Southshire. While the group was an eclectic one, Daenarson himself identified as Asatru and lived with a group of like-minded Heathens, the House of Scorpio, in New Orleans. This is where Waggoner got his first glimpse of his future path, with the help of another wondrously-named fortune-teller. Gutterrhyme Bambibreeches read runes for me once and predicted that my spirituality would be taking a very Norse path. As I was still a card-carrying Methodist at the time, I thought this sounded a little goofybut eventually, he was right. While it was biology that had been Waggoners main interest since his childhood (I dont think Ive ever wanted to do anything else when I grew up), his first encounter with Heathenry had planted in him something that would blossom a few years later. Waggoner had been accepted as a graduate student at the University of California Berkeley, far from his native Louisiana, and this is where he met Heathenry anew. I picked up a used copy of Edred Thorssons A Book of Troth and the Poetic Edda in a Berkeley bookstore circa 1995. Edreds description of what was then called The Ring of Troth sounded intriguing. As the internet became more widely available to the general public, the Troth ended up posting most of another one of their foundational books, Our Troth, online. I read it over and over, and was very impressed. I could tell that the work tried to meet high scholarly standards. At the same time, these people were clearly using the lore as a foundation and as a stepping stone to lived religious experience in the present daynot just as an end in itself. After some more years of reading and soul-searching, Waggoner came to the conclusion that this path was his to take. By then, he had graduated from Berkeley with a thesis on integrative biology, and he had started teaching at the University of Central Arkansas and publishing scholarly papers. While it is safe to say that his earlier works, such as Biogeographic Analyses of the Ediacara Biota: A Conflict with Paleotectonic Reconstructions, or Testing the Evolutionary Relationships of Ediacaran and Paleozoic Problematic Fossils Using Molecular Divergence Dates, had little to do with his newfound spiritual path, Waggoner would eventually find a way to successfully combine it with his advanced academic skills. In 2007, while researching the enigmatic god Hnir, Waggoner dug up the no-less obscure document called the Saga-fragment of Some Ancient Kings (Sogubrot af nokkrum fornkonungum), a short text set in the legendary pre-viking times. As with a number of lesser-known medieval Norse-Icelandic documents, the Sogubrot had never been translated to English. Waggoner, being a polyglot for example, he knew a considerable amount of Russian from time spent living in Moscow in the early 90s did not let this detail get in the way of knowledge, and he set out to translate the short part of the text where Hnir is mentioned. As it turned out, Waggoner ended up significantly expanding his original project. Once I got that done I didnt have any context for what the heck was going on in the saga, so I started working on fleshing out the whole text, and then found that the Sogubrot leads into the story of Ragnar Lodbrok, he says. As the old man says, one word led to another word. In this case, it all lead to much more than just another word. Waggoner eventually published The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok through The Troth in 2009. In addition to the self-titled saga on Ragnar Lodbrok, Waggoner also included translations of the Tale of Ragnars Sons (Ragnarssona attr), the Sogubrot, the Death Song of Ragnar Lodbrok (Krakumal), as well as a Latin list of Swedish kings. In its scope, thoroughness, and exactitude, The Sagas of Ragnar Lodbrok was an impressive witness of things to come for Waggoner. Since publishing that first volume, Waggoner has published no less than twelve more books of translated and edited Norse and Anglo-Saxon texts, with a thirteenth in the works, a collection of tales from the fourteenth-century Flateyarbok manuscript. Through this body of work, Waggoner has developed a style, a method, and an overall vision about what it means to translate the tales of Scandinavian antiquity. Heathenry has often been referred to as the religion with homework. One could easily make a comparison between Waggoners effort of translating myths and legends about the old gods with that of a Christian scholar delving deep into Greek, Hebrew, and Aramaic texts to produce a faithful translation of the words of Yahweh. Yet Waggoner does not see his work in such a light. I think its important that Heathens today not take The Lore as gospel. We cant treat it as something handed down to us unaltered from some utopian happy time before the coming of Christianity. Being aware of the complex academic discourse surrounding the authenticity, nature, and origin of Norse-Icelandic sagas and Eddas, Waggoner strongly insists that the ancient texts including the Eddas have to be understood not only in the context of pre-Christian Scandinavia, but as the product of a post-Pagan society was well. When Iceland adopted Christianity in the year 1000, says Waggoner, that not only brought a change of religion, it brought what scholars call manuscript culture. This monumental evolution of a previously orally-dominated culture (Waggoner calls it an information revolution) brought new ideas, interpretations, attitudes and even narrative elements to the ancient oral corpus, which should be treated as such. What we call The Lore isnt holy writ; it went through long stages of oral transmission, and then it changed more as it was written, copied, recopied, interpreted, reinterpreted, mixed, remixed, sliced, diced, chopped, and screwed. Thats just what writers and compilers and storytellers do. To illustrate the dynamic nature of Old Norse literature and myth, Waggoner uses the ever-controversial figure of Loki as an example. While most Heathens know the story about the death of Baldr and how his resurrection was thwarted by Lokis refusal to weep for the beloved god, few have ever considered that this part of the story might have had Christian origins. Richard Cole has pointed out that the idea of everything weeping for the slain god, except for one bad guy who just has to ruin everything, is almost exactly like medieval Christian thinking about Jews, Waggoner explains. According to Gregory the Great in the sixth century, all creation had acknowledged Jesuss divinity and mourned his death except for those wicked, blind, hard-hearted Jews. This part of Snorris account is almost a straight steal from Gregory the Great, whose sermons were translated and widely circulated in Scandinavia at the time. Snorri wasnt necessarily being anti-Semitic at least not more so than most medieval Christians, not that thats saying a lot but he almost certainly borrowed that detail for his account of the death of Baldr, with Loki depicted in some of the same terms as Jews in medieval literature: kin to the Aesir / Christians, but still a scheming malevolent other, not one of us.' Understanding the lore as a dynamic and evolving corpus of texts, at times influenced by, and always transmitted through, Christian learning might have some long-lasting implications for todays Heathens. Yet, most Heathens are neither directly aware of the modern academic debate surrounding that myth, nor do they read Old Norse-Icelandic. With access to the foundational texts of most of what comprises todays Heathen belief and a more-than-respectable knowledge of academic theory and discourse, some individuals in Waggoners position likely would be tempted to present themselves as meaningful authoritative figures, but not Waggoner. Reading the Eddas in Norse doesnt really give you access to deep ancient mysteries, unless you consider How the f does the dative case work, again? to be a deep ancient mystery. Just knowing the dictionary definitions of every word doesnt mean you can catch all the allusions, all the inside jokes and obscure meanings and connotations. Youre still not receiving the text in the same way, with the same mental background, that our ancient Heathen forebears would have, just as learning Greek and Aramaic and Hebrew doesnt make you a better Christian than people who just stick with the King James Version. In addition, I figure the gods are smart enough to speak and understand English. They havent complained when Ive done it, anyway. Waggoners open-mindedness also appears in stark contrast to the view some Heathens might hold regarding modern interpretations and development of Heathenry. I think our gods can change and develop and growor at least our perceptions of them and understandings of them can change. I dont think they have ever revealed, or ever will reveal, everything well ever need to know about them. Yet, well always need some people who can try to bring the best modern scholarship into the Heathen community, we cant keep on endlessly rehashing Gronbech and Turville-Petre. As for the issue of innovation within Heathenry, Waggoner takes a similarly understanding stance. An authoritative Heathen authority will distinguish between what is based in old lore or folk custom and what is personal or community insight and let the reader decide whats worthy of trust. Theres room in our faith for both the nerd with overflowing bookshelves that would be me and the guy who may not have the time or desire to dig into academic lore, but who honors the gods and ancestors and land and tries to live a worthy life. While he has produced a number of high-quality translations of the sagas and the Eddas, Waggoner remains modest about his approach to translation as well. You never get translation exactly right. In a way, its like knitting, every word tugs on other words. If one knitting stitch is too tight or too loose or otherwise poorly done, it puts tension, or fails to put enough tension, on the stitches that it touches, and the whole sweater can end up with awkward bulges. Its the same with words; the choice of a particular word sets up allusions and shades of meaning that may or may not go well with other words you might use. I cant say that Im perfect at itsome of my verbal sweaters still bulge or pinch in unfortunate places. Inspired by the works of Herman Palsson, Paul Edwards, John McKinnell, and Stephen Mitchell among others, Waggoner has translated and edited no less than two-thirds of the entire legendary saga corpus and plans to eventually finish it. Lately, though, he has focused his attention on other projects, namely his translation of what he dubs the Sagas of Imagination and translations of both the Havamal and the Rigsula. While the main goal of the Sagas of Imagination is to familiarize Heathens and saga-enthusiasts with some of the least talked-about texts, including some more of the legendary sagas, and sagas of bishops, saints, and knights, his translations of the Eddic poems are likely to find a wider audience. While attempting to balance the stylistic mastery of Hollander with the accuracy of Orchard and Larrington, Waggoners translation of the Havamal and the Rigsula comes with a great number of useful notes. The Troth plans to use them for outreach programs such as in the military and prisons. Waggoner does not forget to remind us that, while they are important, there is more in life than books, even in the life of footnote-hungry Heathens. His advice for Heathens involves just as much contact with the natural world and the community as scholarship. Try talking to the gods and making some offerings and see what happens, he says. Get away from your glowing screens for a while. Grow or hunt some of your own food if you can. Be nice to kitty-cats. Learn the stars and constellations and weather patterns. Find like-minded folk and try to live your religion as part of a community, if possible. Eat together when you can. Make mistakes and learn from them. Keep trying. Editors note: This column has been updated to include a more substantial quote from Dr. Waggoner on the topic of the relationship between Gregory the Greats sermons and the account of Baldrs death in the Prose Edda. * * * The views and opinions expressed by our diverse panel of columnists and guest writers represent the many diverging perspectives held within the global Pagan, Heathen and polytheist communities, but do not necessarily reflect the views of The Wild Hunt Inc. or its management. Govts mistakes hyped unnecessarily: Dahal Nepal Communist Party (NCP) Chairperson Pushpa Kamal Dahal said there was a plot going on against the government and its mistakes were hyped unnecessarily. The flu's challenges The development of effective flu vaccines has been a challenge since the shots were first administered in the 1940s to protect U.S. soldiers, a group that had suffered a huge number of flu deaths during World War I. In its best years, the flu vaccine is 60 percent effective, meaning people who get a flu shot are 60 percent less likely to get the disease than people who do not get a shot. In its worst years, the vaccine is only 10 percent effective. The CDC projected in February that the 2017-18 vaccine was about 36 percent effective, meaning that people who get the shot were 36 percent less likely to contract the flu. The CDC has not assessed the 2018-19 vaccine. But a study by Rice University predicts that the flu vaccine will likely have the same reduced efficacy as the vaccines used in the previous two years. The shortcomings occur because the flu virus has many forms, or strains; scientists must try to predict the strain that will dominate in an upcoming season for vaccine development. This is different for viruses such as measles, which dont change; childhood vaccinations protect people for life. The flu virus is constantly changing. Its a moving target, CDC epidemiologist Alicia Budd says. Each year youre basically creating a brand-new product. As they are grown in labs, the viruses used in the vaccines are matched to the expected flu strain. But during growth, their genetic makeup often changes, which can make them less effective, Budd says. Theres a lot more work that needs to be done to try to understand exactly what these genetic changes are and what the subsequent implications might be, she says. In people 65 and older, the problem is heightened because their immune systems have become inherently weaker due to age. That makes them even less responsive to vaccines. In 2012-13 the flu vaccine was only 11 percent effective for seniors, even though it was 49 percent effective for the overall population, according to a study published in the Journal of Infectious Diseases. The vaccine in 2010-11 was 60 percent effective in the overall population but only 38 percent effective for seniors, another CDC-funded report shows. A vaccine for older Americans For years, researchers vastly overestimated the flu vaccines effectiveness on people age 65 and older. In assembling study groups, researchers included too many healthy individuals who were generally more resistant to the flu. Scientists discovered the errors in the mid-2000s and began designing more accurate studies. But the overestimations minimized any urgency to improve vaccines for the 65-plus population, says Lone Simonsen, an infectious disease expert at George Washington University, who helped debunk the earlier studies. If you thought the vaccine worked so well in the elderly, you wouldnt question that the existing vaccines werent good enough, Simonsen says. Our research led to better formulations for seniors, and those are used now. A high-dose flu vaccine for individuals 65 and older, Fluzone High-Dose, has been shown to be more effective, according to the CDC. But some health clinics have been slow to offer it because it is new and unfamiliar. The Washington State Vaccine Advisory Committee recommended in August 2017 that health care providers in the state offer seniors the high-dose vaccine or an adjuvanted vaccine that has an added ingredient to boost the bodys immune response. It was the first time the committee had made such a recommendation, says Kathy Lofy, the state health officer in Washington. We had been hearing after the high-dose vaccine came out that a lot of clinics werent even buying it, Lofy says. Some clinics were just deciding to stick with the standard-dose vaccine. The high-dose vaccine was new, and initially there wasnt a lot of data about it. Lofy says she does not know how many clinics offered the high-dose vaccine in 2017-18 or how many people received it. The CDC urges everyone who is at least 6 months old to get an annual flu shot and says older people and infants are at particular risk for the flu. Although the vaccine may provide only limited protection, health officials say it is better than nothing. Says Budd, the CDC epidemiologist: While we have an imperfect vaccine, it still ends up preventing a significant amount of illness. Watertown episode of HBO's 'We're Here' airs Monday After filming an episode of "We're Here" in Watertown this summer, HBO is ready to air the state's first episode Monday. Locals offer 500 ropanis to dump stinking Sisdole Suffering the unbearable garbage stink drifting from the Sisdole landfill site for months, residents have offered 500 ropanis of their land in Chape Kholsa gorge as an alternative dumping site to the civic authority that has done little to resolve the problem. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Deeming the status quo unacceptable, University of New Mexicos top administrators are asking to conceal a series of controversial murals in Zimmerman Library at least until a decision is made about the artworks long-term fate. President Garnett Stokes and interim Provost Richard Wood will recommend to the Board of Regents Historic Preservation Committee that Kenneth Adams 1939 artwork be covered with theater curtains, according to a letter they sent this week to a campus murals task force. If approved by the committee and the regents, the curtains would provide a temporary fix so the institution can further discuss symbols, climate, public art, and place names on campus and how to deal with the murals long term, according to their message. Adams Three Peoples paintings have drawn criticism for decades, with some calling them racist in their representations of Native Americans, Hispanics and Anglos. New complaints emerged in 2016, when library staff and faculty said they contributed to a hostile work environment. Amid those concerns and a raging national debate about historic-but-controversial public arts value to modern society sparked by the protests in Charlottesville, Va. UNM last fall assembled a task force to help identify a plan for the library murals. The university also offered a mural-centric, interdisciplinary class last spring that allowed students to make their own recommendations after hearing 30 lectures representing various perspectives. Associate Vice Provost Alex Lubin, who convened the task force and co-taught the murals course, said most task force members voted in favor of removing the murals. Several of the class groups also proposed removal. In fact, every class group recommended change of some kind, such as putting different art in front of the Adams murals or installing plaques to provide more information and context. Lubin said his research indicated proper removal and storage of the historic artwork could cost hundreds of thousands of dollars and also could present environmental hazards because of lead paint and adhesive. Wood says any long-term mural plan will depend on a number of factors, including cost, Historic Preservation Committee input and the regents. But he and Stokes said they wanted to start the process of shielding them for the time being. At UNM we must remain focused on matters of campus climate, equity, and inclusion; the status quo is not acceptable. We have heard from several faculty, staff and students that the murals make them feel excluded and attacked, Stokes and Wood wrote in their Oct. 3 letter obtained by the Journal. We know that many people enjoy the murals, and we remain committed to a solution that ensures that everyone feels welcome at UNM. The two also are asking UNMs Division for Equity and Inclusion to establish a committee on how UNM should address the controversial university seal. Lubin said he would present the administrations recommendation to cover the Zimmerman murals with curtains at the Historic Preservation Committees next meeting. Its unclear when that will happen; the committee has no calendar on its website and did not respond to a Journal email Friday asking when it would next meet. Lubin said the curtains would be just one step while deliberation continues about the murals. I think this is an intermediate solution that isnt meant to please everyone, but is at least meant to address a serious campus climate issue right now, he said. I hope people understand that. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Almost two months after 6-year-old Ariana Jade Romeo was found dead on a makeshift foam mattress, police arrested a young man suspected of raping and killing the little girl in the home where she and her mother were staying in Rio Rancho. Leland Hust, 21, was booked into the Sandoval County Detention Center on Friday night. He is charged with child abuse resulting in death and aggravated criminal sexual penetration. In a surprising development Friday night, Rio Rancho police said they also arrested the man who owned the house where Ariana was killed. Winston Scates Sr., 63, is charged with at least one count of criminal sexual contact involving a different minor. Rio Rancho Police Chief Stewart Steele said the charges are the result of a very thorough investigation. The men and women of the Rio Rancho Police Department have worked diligently since Aug. 11 with the goal of justice for Ariana, he said. Our officers and detectives, many of whom have children of their own, have been profoundly impacted by the death of Ariana. The investigation began on Aug. 11, when Rio Rancho officers were called to the 200 block of Moonstone, near N.M. 528 and Northern NE, because Arianas mother had found her cold and unresponsive. She was dead, there was damage to her genitals and the home was in total disarray, according to a search warrant affidavit. Police have not said how Ariana was killed. According to a police report, when officers arrived several people were standing outside the house, crying and very emotional. An officer who did a sweep through the house reported that most of the rooms were empty. He found Ariana lying on a foam mattress in the garage, which had been converted into a bedroom. There was a pornographic magazine next to the mattress. As I was exiting the room a male later identified as Leland Hust came out of a room across from the kitchen, the officer wrote in the report. The room had a black blanket hanging in the doorway. Leland was told to wait outside the residence. After the initial trickle of information, Rio Rancho police did not answer questions about the case except to say that they were still investigating. Search warrants showed detectives were combing through the home for materials related to drug use and child pornography and that many different people, adults and juveniles, had been staying there. The New Mexico State Police and the Albuquerque office of the FBI assisted with the investigation. Friday night, Capt. Ron Vigil, a spokesman for Rio Rancho police, said it took detectives nearly two months to collect evidence against Hust, including DNA that linked him to Arianas death. He would not say whether Hust had confessed to the crime. DNA is one element of this investigation, he said, adding that detectives also found evidence against Hust through interviews with people who were at the home when the girl was killed. Vigil said that during the investigation detectives discovered that other children may have been sexually assaulted by Scates, the homeowner. Unfortunately, weve identified other juvenile victims, Vigil said. They are separate and distinct investigations. We have looked at not only older cases but new accusations. Vigil would not say how many other potential victims there were or give the ages or genders of those victims or say when or where the abuse occurred. I would say its at least two, he said. This case is still an open investigation. Additional charges are always a possibility. Vigil would not say how Hust was related to Scates, Arianas mother, or anyone else at the home. However, according to police records, Hust was reported as a missing juvenile from the home in 2011 and returned there shortly afterward. We know that a number of individuals reside at that residence, he said. We have taken steps to identify the relationships of those parties. Some may be blood relatives. Others are not. Vigil would not say where Hust and Scates were during the investigation but said they were not arrested at the home on Moonstone. He said there could be more suspects but detectives have arrested only the two men whose involvement they believe they could prove. Neither Scates nor Hust has a criminal history in New Mexico, according to online court records. But this is not the first time Scates has been accused of sexual contact of a minor. According to a police report filed in 2011, a female relative reported her 4-year-old daughter had said he inappropriately touched her. The case was submitted to the 13th Judicial District Attorneys Office for review, but charges were not filed. Friends and relatives say Ariana and her mother, Stephanie, bounced around the southeast before moving across the country to New Mexico over a year ago. The two eventually landed in Rio Rancho, where Ariana attended Ernest Stapleton Elementary School. She had just graduated kindergarten. A close friend of the family, Angelea Torn, said she was thankful police finally made an arrest. Sadly, it doesnt make it feel any better, she said. Justice doesnt bring her back. Deputies say a new hire at a South Valley liquor store pistol whipped two people who were hanging out in front of the store last week. Luis Delgadillo-Vasquez, 23, is charged with kidnapping, three counts of aggravated battery, unlawful possession of a firearm in a licensed liquor establishment and other charges. Manuel Castellanos, who later told deputies he was homeless, was taken to University of New Mexico Hospital in critical condition with a possible brain bleed and a chunk of his ear missing, according to a criminal complaint filed in Metropolitan Court. On Sept. 26, Bernalillo County Sheriffs deputies were called to Kelly Liquors on Coors south of Arenal SW for reports of a beating. They found a man, later identified as Castellanos, covered in blood, with deep cuts on the back of his head and what looked like a mark made from the muzzle end of a firearm on his face. He was taken to the hospital. Through interviews with customers and co-workers and a review of the security camera footage, deputies learned Delgadillo-Vasquez, a new employee, left the store, picked up two bags that had been left near the parking lot and brought them to the entrance. Then, deputies say, he saw a woman walking to where the bags used to be, snuck up behind her and hit her with an object. The subject appears to lose consciousness and falls uncontrollably into the middle of the driveway, a deputy wrote in the complaint. It appears the injured subject regains consciousness and flees on foot away from the Kelly Liquors. When the woman, later identified as Elizabeth Juarez, was interviewed later she had a deep cut on her nose exposing the bone. After Delgadillo-Vasquez brought Juarezs bags inside the store, it appeared Castellanos went to confront him. Thats when deputies say the clerk beat Castellanos with this hands and with a firearm, causing the serious injuries. Then he dragged the mostly unconscious Castellanos outside into the parking lot, according to the complaint. The other employee called 911. When deputies arrived they talked with a customer who said he saw some of the fight and that Delgadillo-Vasquez tried to give him the firearm afterward, explaining that he is a felon and cant have a gun. Delgadillo-Vasquez had left the scene by the time deputies arrived. He was arrested Thursday and the District Attorneys Office has filed a motion to keep him in jail until trial. That will be decided at an upcoming hearing. No one from Kelly Liquors was available to comment Friday afternoon but an employee who answered the phone said he didnt think Delgadillo-Vasquez worked there anymore. CHICAGO A few weeks ago, my aunt came to visit from Mexico for the first time in nearly 20 years. During her month-long stay, my family and I were treated to hand-made sopes a deep-dish tortilla topped with beans, meat, cheese and a meticulously minced raw salsa and posole, a chicken, corn and hominy soup so time-consuming to prepare that my mom usually only makes it at New Years. These kinds of from-scratch, labor-intensive meals are what Alyshia Galvez, a professor in the Department of Latin American and Latino Studies at Lehman College/City University of New York, calls milpa-based cuisine, a term derived from the Spanish words for maize field. In her new book, Eating NAFTA: Trade, Food Policies, and the Destruction of Mexico, Galvez describes this style of cooking as found across a wide variety of regions in Mexico. They share a core set of ingredients like ground corn and the kinds of fresh vegetables and plants squash, beans, tomatoes, chiles that can be grown in a small field close to home to create meals that are made fresh immediately prior to their consumption. This way of eating is nearly the opposite of what is generally considered Mexican food in the United States especially if you stop to consider the brain-numbing reality that a Harris poll recently found: Taco Bell is Americans favorite Mexican restaurant. And it is in danger of becoming extinct. Thats because NAFTA, and other trade policies, have incentivized people all over the world to migrate for work or take jobs in factories for low wages breaking up their way of life. This has made an attractive alternative of the super-cheap, ultra-processed foodstuffs that industrialized food manufacturers are increasingly finding it harder to sell to nutrition-conscious Americans. Along with their counterparts in other countries, rural and low-income Mexicans have provided a market for producers of industrial foods to offset declining sales in the United States, Galvez writes. Yet economic trends and policy decisions that have taken ancestral ways of eating out of the reach of the average Mexican citizen (are also) making traditional foods available as a high-value, high-status commodity to be elevated and reinterpreted by global elite chefs. In a recent interview, Galvez told me that she became interested in connecting the dots between trade, food policy, migration and health in both the U.S. and Mexico when she started seeing her loved ones in Mexico becoming ill with the same kind of weight-related diseases obesity, diabetes and heart disease that afflict so many Americans, even though those relatives never migrated. I wasnt really aware of those interconnections at all; trade wasnt something I was particularly interested in, Galvez said, But I pulled on one string and all these other strings unraveled. The story of how NAFTA has altered the food system in the whole continent, and the health effects, affects every single one of us. Galvez touches on such issues as the rise of the avocado, how soda taxes get watered down by corporate interests and the role of personal responsibility in how populations eat . Spoiler: make fresh fruits and vegetables more expensive and harder to find and poor people will turn to cheap, processed foods. She ultimately wants people to understand the unintended consequences of wide-ranging trade deals, and she does it by appealing to our self-interest. Sure, we get access to fresh fruits and vegetables from Mexico year-round, but the takeaway problem is fundamentally about democracy, Galvez said. When these deals are negotiated behind closed doors by the executive branch, with Congress then voting up or down, we all lose, because these policies affect 99 percent of the population in three countries, yet we are not at the bargaining table. Very specific interest groups and corporations are at the table, and they get their well-defined wish lists met. If we care about democracy, then we have to care about representation and about who is being taken into consideration when these deals are made. Still, as President Trump renegotiated the trade pact of what will reportedly be called the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), Galvez said, Im in the uncomfortable position of hoping (Trump) doesnt recklessly trash NAFTA. There would be a lot of pain for everyone involved. We cant afford the crumbling of our current food system. We just dont realize how intertwined and interdependent we are. (Drastic changes) could cause an incredible logjam on products we depend on daily. Wed see unbelievably high costs, farmers would see their crops rotting on the vine and hunger on a massive scale. The evolution of how we eat is a fact of life. But negotiating away the gastronomical cultural heritage of whole countries including ours in the name of enhanced trade, is not a deal many would make if they were aware of what was at stake. E-mail estherjcepeda@washpost.com; Twitter: @estherjcepeda. (c) 2018, Washington Post Writers Group. The U.S. Constitution guarantees that no American citizen shall be deprived of life, liberty or property without being afforded due process of the law. It is one of the bedrocks of our legal system. The 14th amendment to the Constitution guarantees to every person, including aliens, equal protection under the law. And, everyone is presumed innocent until proven guilty. What has happened to those ideals? I honestly do not want to get into the briar patch of the Brett Kavanaugh vs. Professor Christine Blasey Ford drama. But the divisive episode raises deep and troubling issues. There is a seething anger in todays America. Too many have developed the habit of dismissing and vilifying those who dont think the same way. We dont listen I mean really listen to each other anymore. Our us vs. them mentality has morphed past the mere political to include a new sort of gender war. Its now become popular to hold men up to scorn and suspicion. And then theres the idea that if a woman makes a claim of sexual harassment or assault she must be believed, no questions asked. She must automatically be referred to as a victim survivor. But if everyone is supposed to be treated equally under the law shouldnt we be open to the possibility that sometimes an accusing woman or man might be exaggerating? She/he might be covering up their own misbehavior by deflecting attention to the other party. Or she/he might be spitefully lying. One case in point: the false gang rape allegation made against members of the Duke University lacrosse team. If every single claim made must automatically be held as holy writ then, really, the veracity of all claims becomes questionable. I have spent a career reporting on the physical/emotional/sexual abuse of victims. I am overly sympathetic to women and children who have endured domestic, stranger or pedophilic violence. As I have written here, #MeToo applies to me, too. I have personally experienced the shock of being pushed and held against a wall and violently invaded by men who thought I wanted it. I completely understand why a woman might not immediately come forward with a complaint. I didnt. Back then if I had gone to the police and made an official statement the matter likely would have gone to court, because if Id had the courage to come forward I darn well would have made sure to take it all the way to trial. I would have told my story under oath and the man would have been given a chance to do the same. Then the judge, or maybe a jury, would have decided who was right and who was wrong. That is due process. It might be a slow course of action, but it is the fair way to do things. Due process is what delivered justice to the dozens of victims of Bill Cosby. After his first trial ended in a hung jury the justice system plodded along and held a second trial. Cosby, 81, was then found guilty, labeled a sexually violent predator and sentenced to three to 10 years in prison. Presumably, this procedure will soon take place in another headlined sexual assault case, the one which awaits disgraced movie maker Harvey Weinstein. It may not be a fast-enough process for some, but I refuse to believe returning to Salem witch hunt-era tactics is acceptable. It is simply not the American way to declare a suspect guilty or brand them a liar from the get-go. It is not acceptable to allow agitators to scream for immediate justice. It is not helpful when shrieking members of a group that opposed any and all Trump nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court corner decision makers like Sen. Jeff Flake in a Capitol Hill elevator. I was sexually assaulted, and nobody believed me! one of the confrontational activists screamed as a CNN camera rolled. I didnt tell anyone, and youre telling all women that they dont matter! Wait a minute. She either told about her assault and no one believed her, or she didnt tell anyone both cannot be true. But I digress. Sen. Flakes offense? Participation in a respectful fact-finding mission regarding what to do in the Kavanaugh/Ford matter. At the hearing, Flakes face revealed his anguish with the task. Out in the hall, what did that temper tantrum accomplish besides giving the finger-pointing activists 15 minutes of fame? Nothing, I say. We now live in an enlightened world where age-old acts of sexual victimization have been exposed, perpetrators revealed for all to see. Im hoping women everywhere understand they no longer have to endure sexual harassment and assaults. Saying No is the new norm. The path to justice has now been paved. Lets not sabotage it with screeching displays in hallways. Lets restore and demand dignity and due process fairness for everyone female and male. www.DianeDimond.com; e-mail to Diane@DianeDimond.com. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal SANTA FE The race for New Mexico treasurer pits a politically experienced incumbent, Democrat Tim Eichenberg, against a former state employee making his first run for public office. Republican Arthur Castillo, who worked as chief financial officer under a previous state treasurer, James Lewis, says he would bring a fresh perspective to the office and provide independent leadership. Eichenberg, a former state senator and Bernalillo County treasurer, says he hopes to continue pushing for greater disclosure of investment fees paid by state agencies while making sound financial decisions as the states banker. The state treasurer manages and invests the cash used to operate state government, runs an investment pool for local governments and serves as a member of key state boards, such as the State Investment Council and Mortgage Finance Authority. Eichenberg said he oversees an experienced staff that has a background in banking and is committed to his role as a board member on state agencies that help develop affordable housing for New Mexicans. He said he would continue pushing for legislation aimed at requiring more public disclosure of how much state agencies pay in investment fees, commissions and similar expenses. The public has a right to know, he said. A proposal he supported in 2017, Senate Bill 2, passed the Senate and House by overwhelming margins but was vetoed by Republican Gov. Susana Martinez, who said it would replicate information thats already available. Martinezs tenure ends this year. Castillo said he has a broad mix of experience as an accountant and administrator for the state Treasurers Office, the city of Albuquerque, the University of Albuquerque and the Bernalillo County Treasurers Office. My whole plan is not to go in there and make wholesale changes, Castillo said. I want to get in there and see what needs to be adjusted or fixed and then move from there. He said he has never run for office and has no political baggage. I dont owe anybody anything, Castillo said. I dont have to bow down to anybody in the party or any political group. Q-and-As online: To find out these candidates positions on key issues, go to ABQJournal.com/election2018. The site also includes links to Journal stories on statewide, legislative and county-level races, district maps, key election dates and other voter resources. It will be updated regularly with new candidate profile stories and other information. Copyright 2018 Albuquerque Journal Editors note: This is part of a series of election stories about 2018 New Mexico races and candidates that started Sunday. Look for more stories in the coming days and weeks leading up to Election Day. SANTA FE New Mexicos next land commissioner will oversee more than 14,000 square miles of state trust land scattered across the Land of Enchantment. And the three-way race is shaping up as perhaps the closest contest on the fall ballot. Just 2 percentage points separated Democrat Stephanie Garcia Richard and Republican Pat Lyons in a Journal Poll last month, with Libertarian Michael Lucero trailing well behind. The campaign is wide-open, because incumbent Aubrey Dunn, a Libertarian, is stepping down after four years in office. He won election as a Republican but later switched his affiliation. Garcia Richard, who represents the Los Alamos area in the state House, is campaigning as someone who knows firsthand the importance of generating revenue for New Mexico schools. Shes an educator for the Pojoaque Valley School District. I bring a completely different perspective than this office has ever had, she said. Lyons, a Quay County rancher who served as land commissioner from 2003 to 2010, describes himself as an experienced land manager who would work well with private industry, such as oil and gas producers and ranchers. Ive managed lands all my life, he said. You need a land manager there. Lucero, a rancher from the Jemez Springs area, is urging people to disregard party labels. Im not a politician, he said. I see things as right and wrong not one party or the other. The commissioner of public lands oversees state trust lands and generates revenue through leases to ranchers, oil and gas producers, and others. Much of the money flows into the states Land Grant Permanent Fund, which provides hundreds of millions of dollars a year for public schools, universities and other beneficiaries. Environmental regulations The candidates have clashed over environmental regulations, Lyons record as land commissioner and who has the right experience to lead the office. Garcia Richard said her northern New Mexico House district is a microcosm of the state. She has worked with cattle growers and handled concerns about public lands and water, she said. Ive been able to sit down and compromise with folks Ive earned a reputation for doing that in my district, Garcia Richard said. If elected, she said, she plans to pursue a rule aimed at limiting methane emissions from oil and gas operations on state trust land, modeled on a similar regulation in Colorado. Methane is a greenhouse gas that contributes to global warming. Colorado requires companies to fix methane leaks and install equipment to help capture the emissions. I havent been shy about talking about the industry needing to be responsible to take corporate responsibility for their actions and to pay their fair share, Garcia Richard said. Lyons, in turn, said Garcia Richard would hurt the oil and gas industry and damage revenue streams for New Mexico. He said that as a rancher, he understands the importance of managing land in a sustainable way that protects the environment, but without unnecessary regulation. I know how to manage lands better than her, Lyons said. Thats just a fact. Im better-suited for it, easily. As for methane emissions, he said, the answer is to cut red tape and promote the development of pipelines to get the methane to the marketplace so it isnt wasted or causing safety problems. He touted his record of exchanging trust land to promote business development and create jobs. Lucero said his approach to the office would be to encourage cooperation among energy producers, ranchers, environmentalists and other groups. The priority I would pursue is to get all sides to sit down and visit with each other, he said. If we can come to an agreement where we get all parties involved and not leave any individual out, thats what Id like to see. Controversies Lyons saw his share of controversy when he ran the State Land Office for eight years. In 2010, for example, a special audit of the State Land Office concluded that some of the agencys transactions had relied on flawed appraisals and financial analyses, costing the state millions. It also said that in some transactions, the applicants who succeeded in getting leases, exchanges or sales of trust land had made contributions to Lyons. Lyons and others in the State Land Office blasted the audit as inaccurate, politically motivated and misleading. Lyons called it delusional. In a recent interview, Lyons said the auditors hired to do the report under then-State Auditor Hector Balderas, a Democrat didnt understand how to do land exchanges. The transactions were sound deals that maximized revenue for the state, Lyons said. Everything went through (seven attorneys in the Land Office) to make sure it was legal, Lyons said. In 2007, the Journal reported that a political action committee, largely funded by a Las Cruces developer and led by a Santa Fe lobbyist representing that developer, gave Lyons 2006 re-election campaign nearly $20,000. The contributions came in the months before Lyons signed a lucrative lease with the developer, who was required to provide planning services for a 4,200-acre stretch of trust land near Las Cruces city limits. Garcia Richard has seized on that history as part of her campaign. In a recent forum, she told the audience to support her candidacy if you are tired of backroom deals at the State Land Office. She vowed to boost transparency in the office. In an interview, she said the office has earned a reputation over a century for having its decisions made behind closed doors, in the dark, out of the public eye. Lyons, in turn, said his work helped generate billions of dollars of revenue for the state. He also said land transactions were publicized to allow for competition. Theres no insider dealing, he said. At the campaign forum, Lyons put it this way: Campaign donations dont influence me. He said he has a nonpartisan approach dedicated to making the best deals for the people of New Mexico. Candidate backgrounds Lyons has had plenty of political success. He is now wrapping up eight years as a member of the state Public Regulation Commission, representing the states east side. He also served in the state Senate from 1993 to 2002. Garcia Richard is finishing her third term in the state House. She has risen through the ranks to become chairwoman of the House Education Committee. She won the Democratic nomination for land commissioner in June, defeating two better-funded opponents. Garcia Richard would be New Mexicos first female land commissioner. Lucero is a member of the Jemez Valley school board. Campaign finances Lyons had a substantial financial advantage in the race, according to reports filed Sept. 10. He has about $184,000 in cash in his campaign account. His contributors include ranchers, oil and gas producers and business professionals. Garcia Richard had about $33,000 in her account. Her contributors include teachers, attorneys and real estate professionals. Lucero hasnt reported any recent activity. Earlier this year, he reported $10,000 in contributions from the campaign account of Dunn, the incumbent land commissioner. In a Journal Poll from Sept. 7 to 13, Garcia Richard had support from 39 percent of proven, likely voters; Lyons was at 37 percent; and Lucero had 9 percent. The margin of error was plus or minus 4.8 percent points. The scientific survey was conducted by Research & Polling Inc. Q-and-As online: To find out these candidates positions on key issues, go to ABQJournal.com/election2018. The site also includes links to Journal stories on statewide, legislative and county-level races, district maps, key election dates and other voter resources. It will be updated regularly with new candidate profile stories and other information. TOKYO Americas top diplomat left Tokyo for Pyongyang on Sunday after pledging that the U.S. will coordinate with allies Japan and South Korea on efforts to persuade North Korea to give up its nuclear weapons. On the eve of his fourth visit to North Korea, U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met Saturday with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to try to unify the countries positions as he looks to arrange a second summit between President Donald Trump and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un and chart a path toward denuclearization. Japan has been wary of Trumps initiative, fearing it could affect its long-standing security relationship with the U.S. Pompeo said it was important to hear from the Japanese leader so we have a fully coordinated and unified view. Pompeo also pledged that during his meeting with Kim on Sunday, he would raise the cases of Japanese citizens abducted by North Korea. Pompeo later planned stops in South Korea and China to review the negotiations. It is important for us to hear from you as I travel to Pyongyang to make sure that we are fully in sync with respect to missile programs, (chemical and biological weapons) programs, Pompeo told Abe. We will bring up the issue of the abductees as well and then we will share with you how we hope to proceed when we are in Pyongyang tomorrow. Trump is pressing to meet with Kim for a second time after their June summit in Singapore produced a vague agreement on denuclearization with few, if any, specifics. Despite the historic meeting, the two sides are deadlocked over how to achieve that goal. Trump canceled Pompeos initial planned return to North Korea last month. In contrast with South Korea, where President Moon Jae-in has been at the forefront of encouraging Trumps rapprochement with the North, Japan has been decidedly cautious, insisting its interests and concerns be addressed. Abe did not speak of differences but highlighted the importance of demonstrating to the world that the U.S.-Japan alliance is more robust than ever and stressing the importance of thorough coordination with Washington on all aspects of North Korea policy. Pompeo has repeatedly refused to discuss details of negotiations, including a U.S. position on North Koreas demand for a declared end to the Korean War and a proposal from Seoul for such a declaration to be accompanied by a shutdown of the Norths main known nuclear facility. The U.S. and Japan have pushed for the North to compile and turn over a detailed list of its nuclear sites to be dismantled as a next step in the process; the North has rejected that. Japans foreign minister, Taro Kano, said the accounting continues to be a priority for his country. Disclosing all nuclear inventories is the first step toward denuclearization, he told reporters after Pompeo wrapped up his meeting in Tokyo. Kono also said he and Pompeo didnt go into details of a possible war-end declaration because its premature while there is virtually no progress in denuclearization. We are not even talking about whether to do it or not, he said. Its not an issue that we are even considering. Many believe such a declaration could reinforce North Koreas demands for the U.S. to withdraw its forces from South Korea and Japan. While traveling to Asia, Pompeo said his mission was to make sure that we understand what each side is truly trying to achieve and how we can deliver against the commitments that were made in Singapore. He said they would develop options, if not finalize, the location and timing of a second Trump-Kim summit. He has also distanced himself from an earlier stated goal of achieving North Koreas nuclear weapons abandonment by the end of Trumps term in January 2021. Since the effort got underway with a secret visit to the North by then-CIA chief Pompeo in April, there has been only limited progress. North Korea so far has suspended nuclear and missile tests, freed three American prisoners and dismantled parts of a missile engine facility and tunnel entrances at a nuclear test site. It has not taken any steps to halt nuclear weapons or missile development. The North also has accused Washington of making unilateral and gangster-like demands on denuclearization and insisted that sanctions should be lifted before any progress in nuclear talks. U.S. officials have thus far said sanctions will remain in place until the Norths denuclearization is fully verified. ___ AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee in Seoul, South Korea, contributed to this report. At some point during Judge Brett Kavanaughs testimony last week, Marion Stanford grabbed a piece of wooden paneling, some paint and the $5 brushes she had purchased a while back. She brought the items back to her living room, where she had been glued to the television watching the drama unfold in the Senate that day. She had heard Christine Blasey Ford tell senators that Kavanaugh, President Donald Trumps nominee to the Supreme Court, was the boy who sexually assaulted her 36 years ago, when they were both in high school. And as she listened to Kavanaughs forceful denial and defense of himself, Stanford began to paint. She drew an elephant, the Republican symbol, in red, white and blue with its trunk climbing up the skirt of a little blonde girl in pink. Her eyes are wide open, and so is her mouth. The word HELP! is right next to her face. On the opposite side of the paneling, she painted the words, YOUR VOTE MATTERS in the same shade of pink. The message is if you recognize this, if you understand this pain, if you are part of this movement, your vote matters, Stanford said, referring to the #MeToo movement. Stanford placed the sign outside her home in the Central Texas town of Hamilton, right below another sign supporting Beto ORourke, the Democrat trying to unseat Sen. Ted Cruz. A few days later, on Tuesday night, a police officer showed up at her house. Stanford said the officer told her there had been complaints about her sign, which some saw as a graphic depiction of child abuse. Earlier a woman knocked on Stanfords door and told her she found the sign disgusting. It is pornography, and you cant display it, Stanford recalled the police officer saying. She was given a few choices, she said: Take the sign down, refuse and get arrested, or let police confiscate it. She said she chose the last option. City officials denied threatening arrest. Its a political sign, and a citizen here placed a yard sign that featured a political animal taking an inappropriate position with a young child, Pete Kampfer, Hamiltons city manager, told the Dallas Morning News. A police member visited the owners home, and the owner asked the officer to take the sign. The Washington Post was unable to reach the Hamilton Police Department for comment Saturday. Earlier that Tuesday, the sign caught the attention of Sid Miller, the Texas agriculture commissioner. Miller, who was reportedly on President Trumps shortlist for U.S. agriculture secretary, posted pictures of the sign on his Facebook page and claimed that the girl depicted was one of Kavanaughs young daughters. The Democrat sleaze knows NO bounds, Miller, whos again running for agriculture commissioner, wrote in a post that was later shared more than a thousand times. Millers campaign did not respond to a call and email seeking comment Saturday. Stanford said the girl does not depict Kavanaughs daughter, and portraying child abuse wasnt her intention. She said the yard sign was based on an editorial cartoon that Washington Post cartoonist Ann Telnaes drew last year, when then-Senate candidate Roy Moore was accused of making sexual advances to minors. I knew what the symbolism was. I know what my motivations were, she said. Stanford, a self-described independent who frequently leans liberal, said she found Ford to be credible. I stand with those women. I stand with the women who wants change, who have a voice and are making their voice heard, Stanford said, again invoking the #MeToo movement. And the whole community is not going to stop me. Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court was in peril a few weeks ago, after Ford accused him of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s, when the two were in high school in Maryland. Two other women accused Kavanaugh of sexual misconduct, and the judge has unequivocally denied any wrongdoing. On Saturday, after a bitter and partisan battle, the Senate confirmed Kavanaugh in a narrow 50-to-48 vote, cementing a conservative majority on the nations highest court. Hundreds of protesters many chanting We believe survivors! Vote then out! and Shame, shame, shame converged on the Capitol in Washington as the Senate prepared to vote. Kavanaughs confirmation became apparent Friday after Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, Jeff Flake, R-Ariz., and Joe Manchin III, D-W.Va., said they would vote yea. One Republican, Sen. Lisa Murkowski, of Alaska, broke with her party. The next time youre standing at the edge of a scenic cliff or on top of a waterfall, take care when you have the urge to snap a quick selfie. It could very well be the last thing you do. More than 250 people worldwide have died while taking selfies in the last six years, according to a new study from researchers associated with the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, a group of public medical colleges based in New Delhi. The findings, which analyzed news reports of the 259 selfie-related deaths from October 2011 to November 2017, were published in the July-August edition of the Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care. Of the 259 deaths, researchers found the leading cause to be drowning, followed by incidents involving transportation for example, taking a selfie in front of an oncoming train and falling from heights. Other causes of selfie-related death include animals, firearms and electrocution. The selfie deaths have become a major public health problem, Agam Bansal, the studys lead author, told The Washington Post. Though the study found India to have the highest number of deaths of all countries, numerous reports of fatal selfie incidents have also come from Russia, the United States and Pakistan. Bansal noted that while the simple act of taking a selfie isnt deadly, the hazard arises when people take risks while trying to get that perfect shot. If youre just standing, simply taking it with a celebrity or something, thats not harmful, he said. But if that selfie is accompanied with risky behavior then thats what makes the selfies dangerous. What worries me the most is that it is a preventable cause of death, Bansal said. Taking a toll on these many numbers just because you want a perfect selfie because you want a lot of likes, shares on Facebook, Twitter or other social media, I dont think this is worth compromising a life for such a thing. Bansal added he was also concerned about how many of the selfie-related fatalities involved young people. More than 85 percent of the victims were between the ages of 10 and 30, Bansal said. They form the future of a nation, he said. They havent even realized what their goals are. They arent even sure what they want to do. Theyre just beginners in their lives. While the number of deaths reported in the study may seem high, Bansal said there could be many more cases that just havent been documented due to issues with reporting. In 2018 alone, there have already been several selfie-related deaths. In May, a man in India tried to take a selfie with an injured bear and was mauled to death, the Independent reported. Just last month, two people died in the U.S. in separate cases also involving selfies. On Sept. 5, an 18-year-old hiker from Jerusalem died after he fell more than 800 feet off a cliff at Yosemite National Park, according to ABC News. The mans mother said he had been trying to take a selfie at the edge of Nevada Fall, a popular waterfall in the park, when he fell, the Times of Israel reported. Roughly two weeks later, a 32-year-old California woman met a similar fate while hiking at Pictured Rocks National Lakeshore in Michigan when she slipped and fell to her death after stopping at the edge of a 200-foot cliff to snap some selfies, the Detroit Free Press reported. Mohit Jain, an orthopedic surgeon who was not involved in the recent study but has done research into selfie deaths, described the work of Banal and fellow researchers Chandan Garg and Abhijit Pakhare as really necessary to make people aware that you can die while taking a selfie. Jain published his own study last year about selfie-related mortality in the International Journal of Injury Control and Safety Promotion. Sometimes eyes dont see if your mind doesnt know. Jains research found that 75 people had died attempting to take selfies from 2014 to mid-2016. Its like a man-made disaster, he told The Post. Its not a natural disaster. One possible way to prevent selfie deaths would be no selfie zones, Bansal said, banning them in certain areas such as water bodies, mountain peaks, and at the top of tall buildings. Efforts to dissuade people from taking dangerous selfies has already been attempted in multiple countries, including India, Russia and Indonesia. Three years ago, Russia launched a Safe Selfie campaign, which featured the slogan, Even a million likes on social media are not worth your life and well-being, the BBC reported. An informational graphic with icons of bad selfie ideas highlighting stick figures posing on power poles and while holding guns was also distributed, Jain noted in his study. In 2016, Mumbai declared 16 no selfie zones across the city following a slew of selfie-related deaths, the Guardian reported. Earlier this year, a national park in Indonesia announced it would be working to create a safe spot for photos after a hiker died taking a selfie, according to the Jakarta Post. Its easy to just neglect all this sort of risky behavior because sometimes we think its not possible, like Im just going to take this picture for five seconds and its okay to take this risk,' Jain said. But when people actually read in the newspaper that almost more than 150 or 200 people are dying in the last couple of years, then theyll realize, Okay, I should not take this much of risk just to take one picture.' Memento mori Picture a dimly-lit room, its contents in disarray. Books are strewn about haphazardly, bedcovers are in shambles, shards of a broken vase lie on the floor. The ceiling has been pulled low, creating a claustrophobic space and a sense of being trapped. There are sounds of marching boots, an insistent pounding on a door and then, a wailing cry. LOS ANGELES As Wilson Guarin watched the green helicopter roaring above, he wondered if the men being hoisted into the sky felt the risk had been worth it. Moments earlier, Guarin and his children, Olivia, 11, and Brandon, 12, had hiked to Hermit Falls in Angeles National Forest, one of the most popular waterfalls in the Los Angeles area. Soon after they arrived, they saw a man dislocate his shoulder when he jumped into the rock pool at the base of Hermit Falls. Less than a minute later, another man jumped and appeared to break both his legs. Guarin, 40, of Long Beach said the cliff jumpers intentions were obvious: They wanted to get a video of themselves and post it to social media. A thirst among hikers, often inexperienced and under-prepared, to gobble up likes and shares on Instagram and other social media sites has led to a significant increase in rescue missions by first responders. The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Departments Search and Rescue teams conducted 681 missions in 2017, the largest number in five years. Its a 38 percent increase from the 491 rescues they did in 2013. The teams leaders say the single largest factor for that increase is people posting videos of extreme activities online. Then, without any thought about the difficulty, others try to re-create their own 15-second version of glory. Rescue teams in Santa Barbara and San Bernardino counties have seen similar increases. People will post videos of themselves jumping off of Hermit Falls or the Malibu rock pool, and they post it in the springtime when theres a decent amount of water, but now, the water is a lot less, so what used to be a 10-foot pool is now a 5-foot pool, said Michael Leum, who oversees the Sheriff Departments Search and Rescue teams. You dont want to be a lawn dart going into that shallow pool. On Instagram, posts from visitors venturing to waterfalls and swimming holes in Angeles National Forest and other recreation areas show hikers morphing into models, striking seemingly the same poses in the same places. Theres the sexy pose on a rock. Sometimes its the contemplative one, where they gaze into the sky. The subject line is often a quote about nature, but sometimes its just a pun referencing Waterfalls, a hit by the 90s R&B group TLC. Or maybe just someone bragging about how cool his friends are. A few visitors even dress up, either in suits and evening gowns for a photo shoot, or as mermaids. And then, sometimes, people just get naked because YOLO (you only live once). Growing up in the San Gabriel Valley, Robert Garcia remembers when Eaton Canyon and Monkey Canyon, a harder-to-reach swimming hole, were known only to locals. Today, its easy to find the routes online and videos on YouTube that explain just how much fun a person might have. Garcia, the fire chief for Angeles National Forest, doesnt discourage people from enjoying the outdoors. But he points out that many accidents are avoidable and happen either when people go off trail or ignore official warnings about an area being closed such as the upper falls of Eaton Canyon and go anyway. Beyond the safety element, theres an element of resource damage, Garcia said. Trails are designed with mitigation and resource protection in mind, so user-created trails dont have that level of planning. Three years ago, Daniel Sedha and his family wanted to visit Switzer Falls, a stunning 50-foot waterfall and rock pool in Angeles National Forest. But they ended up on the wrong path. Planning to end their hike at the base of the waterfall, they instead ended up trekking to the top of the falls. The waterfall dry, Sedha walked to the ridge and decided to try to climb to a flat spot where the top of the waterfall usually cascades down. Within seconds, Sedha was sliding. Sedhas family heard him fall, a thud like a sack of potatoes hitting the ground, before they saw him. They thought he was dead. Sedha broke his pelvis and tailbone. He smashed the right side of his face and still doesnt have feeling above his eyebrow. His elbows still have scars from his attempt to stop himself from plummeting onto dry rock. I just remember feeling that sliding sensation, and then it was almost like a feeling of super bliss, like euphoria, that feeling of just lifting up, said Sedha, 19, of La Mirada. From the slope, I caught air, and thats it. Boom! I fell 50 feet. Sedha is quick to admit he wasnt prepared for his hike that day. For one, he was wearing sneakers that didnt provide the same level of grip of hiking boots. In the hiking world, the 10 essentials is a common phrase for an informal list of recommended items: a map, a compass, sunscreen, extra food, extra water, extra clothing, a flashlight or headlamp, a first aid kit, matches and a knife. The lists vary, but officials agree that the majority of people they save dont carry a fraction of the list. And sometimes, they hike in flip-flops. The proximity of Angeles National Forest to Los Angeles a drive from downtown L.A. to the Switzer Falls trailhead usually takes less than an hour can give people a false sense of safety. But soon after entering Angeles, a visitor will lose cellphone reception, which will remain spotty throughout the forest. Many folks dont plan for that, either. Instead, people often enter the forest in hopes of mimicking an #adventure they saw. They might Google map the hike, and not realize its a 3,000-foot elevation change as well as a three-mile hike, said Quintin Humphrey, an engineer with the Los Angeles County Fire Department who regularly goes on rescue calls to Angeles National Forest. I think those are the things that never cross peoples minds, whereas 20 or 30 years ago people were maybe more prepared for it and had more of a camping mentality. Guarin still thinks about the two men he watched hitching helicopter rides to a hospital. You get concerned about what people are willing to do to not have fun. Its risking everything for no reason. Well, there are the likes. bigbasket (https://www.bigbasket.com/), Indias largest online supermarket, announced its participation in the DaanUtsav (formerly the Joy of Giving Week), a 100% volunteer initiative. As part of this initiative, bigbasketeers can purchase an essential pack consisting of 2 kg Arhar/Popular Toor dal and 1 kg bb Royal Basmati Rice from the app or website up to 8th October 2018 and bigbasket will donate 20% of each purchase to the DaanUtsav. The donations will be distributed to deserving old age homes, orphanages and underprivileged people. Speaking about this, Mr. Vipul Parekh, Co-Founder, Chief Finance Officer & Chief Marketing Officer, bigbasket, said, At bigbasket, we have always believed in giving back to the society and thus, corporate social responsibility (CSR) is not just another policy for us. It is about being inclusive of the society and its surroundings. In this light, we are proud to be associated with the DaanUtsav and give bigbasketeers the satisfaction of having contributed to a larger good. True joy does ultimately lie in giving and this idea complements our philosophy in every way. We urge all of you to contribute generously. Commenting on the association, Ms Sara Adhikari, Volunteer, DaanUtsav said, As this is the 10th year of DaanUtsav, we volunteers decided to get everyone to do one common act of giving. So we thought of A Fistful of Joy - where people give a handful of dry rations like rice, dal or sugar to those who need it. It's something everybody can do! So far we've had a fantastic response with schools, corporates, village communities, apartment blocks all making collections to give to either NGOs near them or the destitute in their communities. We are thrilled that bigbasket is helping their customers to join the nation in this common act of giving." DaanUtsav encourages people to do any act of giving of their choice. Started in 2009, the festival is celebrated between 2nd and 8th October across the country. As of 2018, over 1000+ cities and towns, several districts and villages all over India came forward and celebrated giving in their own way. DaanUtsav is a great platform that brings together people from all walks of life and encourages them to celebrate Giving time, money, material, skill or just love. Jaquar Group, Indias leading complete bathroom and lighting solutions brand, has joined hands with Star World for its flagship show- Koffee with Karan. Jaquar Group is the official lifestyle partner for the sixth season of the show starring star host Karan Johar, which premiers on 21st October. Commenting on the partnership, Mr. Sandeep Shukla, Head of Marketing and Communication, Jaquar Group, adds, We at Jaquar Group are excited to partner with Star World for its flagship show, Koffee with Karan that takes viewers up-close to their favourite film personalities. This partnership gives us the opportunity to connect with the core audience that enjoy the show and at the same time, strengthen our lifestyle positioning. Conceived in 1960, Jaquar Group caters to luxury, premium and value segments with Artize, Jaquar and Essco brands respectively. They recently forayed in complete LED lighting solutions as well. With presence across 45+ countries in Europe, Middle East, Africa, SAARC region and South East Asia, Jaquar Group is one of the fastest growing bathroom brands in the world, delivering over 2 million bathrooms every year. The products by Jaquar Group hold an unviable style quotient which has been admired and awarded across the world, iF, Elle Decor, Good Design, Plus Awards and Red Dot Design are some of the awards in the Groups kitty. Mr. Shukla, further added, Karan Johars inimitable mastery of the genre, reflects in the longevity of the show is akin to Jaquars leadership in the bathroom segment, where it has turned a purely functional space like the bathroom into an aspirational one. Now with the increased visibility of Jaquar Lighting and with Deepika Padulone as its brand ambassador, the brand values of Jaquar and KwK match beautifully. As the style partner of the show, Jaquar Group will refresh each guest with its most extensive and wide range of concepts and products! It is common for companies to organize various informal events where workers can come with their partners. One of those... Minister Yadav claims government powerless in capping sugar price The government claims that it is powerless in maintaining the sugar price at Rs63 per kg and expressed discontent over the intervention by Parliamentary Public Accounts Committee (PAC). Unruly has today announced the formation of the U7, a brand and agency-powered council designed to engage the advertising community in discussions around emerging trends and the health of the industry, as part of Unrulys mission to lead the charge in cleaning up digital marketing. The U7 is comprised of 10 of the worlds largest advertisers including Nestle, Unilever, Diageo, Samsung, American Express, LOreal, GSK, The Wall Street Journal and Mars. They will be joined by leaders from Wavemaker, Havas, and Carat. The purpose of the U7 is to create a dialogue with advertisers so they can play an active role in shaping the future of digital marketing. Members will get exclusive access to new Unruly products and features, including Programmatic Guaranteed, which launches globally from October and allows buyers to access guaranteed buys across exclusive sites at a fixed price. Commenting on the need for a body like the U7, Nigel Conway, Global Head of Media Communications, Nestle, said: The industry needs better digital standards particularly with brand safety, and the U7 Council will help us accelerate better practice and accountability with senior industry client leaders and agencies. We want to prove that adtech can live up to a higher standard of openness and honesty. For too long, clients have had to put up with solutions forced on them by adtech companies, said Norm Johnston, CEO, Unruly, the U7 puts brand and agencies in the driving seat. Were bringing clients inside every team of Unruly, from product development to business practices, and weve brought together an incredible bunch of people for some provocative and inspiring discussion. The first meeting, subtitled Hearts & Minds, will explore the role that emotions and trust play in the future of advertising. Special guests bringing their own expertise and insight to the event include award-winning CMO Dana Anderson, Matt Murray, Editor-in-Chief of The Wall Street Journal, consultant and digital guru Rob Norman, and Brian Wieser, Senior Analyst at Pivotal. One of the long-term goals for the committee is to bring clients closer to the decisions made in adtech, as well as helping advertisers make sense of emerging tech trends, such as the use of emotional intelligence and opportunities presented by ambient technology. U7 member Luis Di Como, EVP Global Media, Unilever commented: Back in February we said we needed to collectively rebuild trust back into our digital systems and wider society Unilever committed to not investing in platforms that do not protect children or create division in society, creating responsible content and only partnering with organisations who are committed to creating a better digital infrastructure. Scaling this digital responsibility framework across the industry is the action we need, which is why I am very excited to join the U7 council and to collaborate with like-minded advertisers. The first meeting of the U7, hosted by Johnston, will establish a roadmap of future activity for the group, which includes a series of global research projects, summits and workshops. The U7 line up includes: Amanda Richman, US CEO, Wavemaker, WPP Ben Sutherland, Chief Digital Officer, Diageo Colin Kinsella, CEO, Havas Group Media North America, Havas Jay Altschuler, VP, Media & Partnerships, Samsung Joe Bihlmier, VP Global Media, American Express Juan Pendavis, Global Head of Creative & Media, Nestle Luis Di Como, EVP Global Media, Unilever Michael Epstein, CEO, Carat USA, Dentsu Aegis Network Nadine Karp McHugh, SVP Omni Media, LOreal Nigel Conway, role TBA, IHG Scott Grenz, VP, Global Head of Media, GSK Suzi Watford, Chief Marketing & Membership Officer, WSJ The full U7 agenda is available here, and outputs from the discussions will be published during October. The U7 will meet in a venue supplied by Realtor.com, one of News Corps Move,Inc brands. From a penthouse apartment at 50 Gramercy Park North, the U7 and its guests will enjoy impressive views of Manhattan and the highly coveted Gramercy Park, the only private park in the city. In a development that further bolsters its position as a top online publication and content creator, Quintillion Media, one of Indias leading and fastest-growing digital content platforms, has reached 1 million subscribers on YouTube and nearly 8 million followers on Facebook, redefining the digital news space in India. The platform has garnered more than 100 million pageviews and over 30 million unique visitors on its websites, along with 10 million unique visitors on YouTube in September. Quintillion Media also has a monthly reach of 170 million+ and nearly 1 billion impressions on Facebook, surpassing some of the biggest legacy media houses in the country. The groups flagship products thequint.com and hindi.thequint.com took home prizes across 15 categories at some of the prestigious awards conducted in September. Bloomberg|Quint (BQ), a joint venture between Quintillion Media (74%) and Bloomberg Media (26%), won the Website of the Year (Business) award in the English language category. The Quints haul of 15 titles included Golds for Best Use of Social Media (English) for the I Have A Question series; and for Best Article/Video Feature for Bollywood Paparazzi. The Quint also won multiple Silvers, including Best Innovation in Publishing for its Talking Stalking series and Best Article/Video Feature for Rape is Consensual: Inside Haryana's Rape Culture. Quintillion Media has won awards across various categories such as Best Branded Project, Best in Social Media Engagement, Best Innovation to Engage Youth Audiences, and Best Use of Online Video (including VR). Ritu Kapur, co-founder & CEO of Quintillion Media said, We have consistently used technological innovations to transform the digital news space in India through our two platforms, Bloomberg|Quint and The Quint. The unique mix of strong, credible journalism and novel digital reporting formats has helped us achieve this amazing milestone and establish The Quint as the go-to-platform for young, digitally-savvy users to access high-quality and relevant news content. To be recognised at such a prestigious stage firmly consolidates our position among the leading online publishers in the country. Winning the Website of the Year awards for both The Quint and Bloomberg|Quint just goes to show that audience engagement can be easily achieved through good quality content, no matter what the format is. AHVAZ, Iran A mother covers her daughters mouth and nose with her headscarf as they rush through the heavy smog that blankets a crowded street. She stops to cough, but then continues to walk while covering her own mouth with her free hand. Maryam and her daughter Mina are not the only ones struggling with the air in this southwestern Iranian city. For over two months, Ahvaz and its people have been choked by fires engulfing the Hawizeh Marshes that straddle the border with Iraq. Nearly two-thirds of the marshes are located in Iraq, with the rest not far from Ahvaz. In mid-August, the governor of the town of Hawizeh, west of Ahvaz, said fumes and the smoke from flames originating on the Iraqi side of the marshes have sent over 250 people to the hospital. Things are not looking any better on the Iranian side of the border. Dr. Shiva Akbari Fazli, who works in a hospital in Ahvaz, told Al-Monitor that her ward has received dozens of patients suffering from respiratory problems in past weeks. Many of the patients who come to our hospital are not aware of the conditions that they have," she said. "They are mostly people with allergies or asthma problems that had gone undiagnosed so far. Now with the smoke in the air, we see several cases of asthma attacks or skin problems like eczema. Even people without health conditions could get coughs or teary eyes, but the conditions could get critical when a patient has allergies or is asthmatic. While patients prone to allergies or asthma are the most affected, others are also paying a price for the smoke. Azita Pourali, a 40-year-old mother of two, told Al-Monitor about her own traumatic experience. It was past midnight when the smell of something burning woke me up. It was so intense that I thought our apartment was on fire. I anxiously woke my husband up so we could evacuate the house with the children, but he knew what the smell was: It was the Hoor-ol-Azim fire, she said, using a local name for the Hawizeh Marshes. Pourali said that while she never had any health conditions in the past, she has experienced several symptoms since that night: burning and itchy eyes, watery and running nose and eyes, headaches and a severe cough. While she believes that the Iranian authorities do not pay sufficient attention to the living conditions of people in Ahvaz and blames them for her health problems, Dr. Zahra Farajzadeh, an official with Khuzestan Province Health Center, believes that those in charge are doing all they can at this point. She told Al-Monitor, It seems like the Hawizeh fire is one of the priorities for the authorities, yet there isnt enough support for them to implement their projects. Dr. Farajzadeh insisted that all Iranians ought to feel responsible for environmental challenges. My personal belief is that we are not that culturally rich when it comes to protecting and preserving the environment," she said. "I therefore think that [the challenge] is more about culturally educating the public than about the authorities tackling the environmental issues. Indeed, whether the authorities are using all the tools at their disposal to tackle the fires is not the preeminent question. This is not the first time the Hawizeh Marshes have faced widespread fires. Similar catastrophic blazes have engulfed the natural reserve at least five times in the past, resulting in the destruction of a total of 28 million square meters of marshlands. Sadly, the Hawizeh Marshes are not the only natural reserve in Iran where such incidents have taken place. In August, over 5 million square meters of the Miankaleh wetlands in the northern province of Mazandaran were also burned in wildfires. Those wetlands are a part of an internationally acknowledged natural reserve that is home to various types of local and migrant birds, among other species. The jungles of Marivan in the northwestern province of Kurdistan are yet another natural reserve that has been destroyed by fires, with over 100,000 square meters of land burned to a crisp in less than two hours. What makes Irans natural reserves prone to fire? In some cases, authorities have blamed locals, accusing them of littering flammable objects like shards of glass that can intensify sunlight and ignite fires. On Sept. 21, the authorities reported they put out a fire in the Hawizeh Marshes that had been started by two individuals. Terrorist groups have also allegedly played a role in some of the fires in the region. The armed Arab separatists of al-Ahwaziya, which has claimed responsibility for the recent attack on a military parade in Ahvaz, are among the groups that Iranian officials say have started fires in the past. Maryam Safaripour, an expert in the field of agroecology with a research focus on environmental pollution, agrees that humans have played a role in these fires. But she has a different view on how direct the impact has been. She told Al-Monitor, I think human-induced climate change is one reason to blame in causing these fires. But as for why they spread out to have such catastrophic impacts, I think we do not see efficient responses from authorities when it comes to the prevention of environmental crises. Due to their generally hot climate, Ahvaz and the southwestern province of Khuzestan endure droughts. Like much of the rest of Iran, the region faces a devastating water shortage. The latest statistics from the Ministry of Energy show that, in several provinces, aquifers are depleting. Many of Irans dams have also deteriorated, with up to 50% of their water supplies lost this year. Irans drought and water crisis constitutes a major challenge, especially when issues are mismanaged or aggravated. Soil degradation is one issue. Many of the natural reserves that have been subject to wildfires in recent years suffered from weak vegetation, either due to undergrazing or overgrazing. On Aug. 22, Ali Bakhtiari, a member of the board of Irans Agricultural Commission, said the fires were a result of not allowing livestock to graze on the protected natural reserves. He said that grazing the land would rid the reserves of the dry vegetation that fuels the fires. This is while others believe that overgrazed farms are more prone to fires than intact natural reserves. Other agricultural, urban and industrial misuses of land in Iran have played major roles as well. For instance, deforestation is another issue. In the past 40 years, Iran has lost 1 million hectares of its jungles. Ramin Gorji, who has researched the environmental conditions of the Hawizeh Marshes, told Al-Monitor that the lack of interaction between the different governing bodies might have been a core cause of the recent fires. Unanimity does not exist in the Iranian governments management of crises," he said. "In general, and in many instances, different governing bodies want to exercise different solutions. This means that time will be wasted and if theres an ongoing fire, its bound to expand. Most of the time, political squabbling in Israel starts just as war is breaking out. As soon as the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) start plodding into Gaza, Cabinet members start lashing out at one another in an effort to prove to their right-wing base that if they had their way, the government would not allow Gaza to win. Sometimes, they manage to restrain themselves and leave the feuding until the next round of fighting dies down. Then there is the case at hand, with two ministers, Education Minister Naftali Bennett and Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman, taking pot shots at each other even before the IDF sets off for another unnecessary round of fighting in the Gaza Strip. In this case, they are paying the bill even before theyve eaten their meal and in this case, they have good reason for doing so, especially Bennett. Over the next few days, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is supposed to decide whether he wants to advance Israels next election to the first quarter of the coming year. Bennett needs desperately to distinguish himself from Netanyahu, who isnt giving him as much as a foothold on the right. Meanwhile, Liberman is insisting that he continue to serve as defense minister in the next coalition, regardless of how many seats his party, Yisrael Beitenu, or Bennetts party, HaBayit HaYehudi, actually win. Netanyahu has already promised his coalition partners that they will keep the same positions in the next coalition. Thats not good enough for Bennett. He would much rather be the minister of defense, knowing that it is a necessary stepping stone on his path to the Prime Ministers Office. Liberman describes Bennetts claims against his Gaza policy as messianic, but that is hardly precise. Bennett does have some reasoned arguments based on the situation on the ground. He is not calling on the IDF to invade Gaza. In fact, he is firmly opposed to sending ground troops in without any preset expectations. At the same time, he also knows that Netanyahu and Liberman are doing everything they can to protect Hamas, just so that it is not replaced with a unified Palestinian partner in the West Bank and Gaza. What concerns Bennett is that the deterrence that Israel has built up during Operation Protective Edge in 2014 has since been worn down. What is happening now, Bennett explained this week in a conversation with Al-Monitor, is that rioters come right up to the fence, tear up several meters of it, penetrate Israeli territory, leave explosives and return to Gaza practically undisturbed. All the IDF ever does is shoot at their legs. The situation as it stands now is impossible. Liberman inherited a high level of deterrence and is leaving behind a scorched earth policy. I cant recall any precedent of the IDF receiving orders to shoot at their legs when terrorists are actually penetrating Israeli territory. It doesnt happen in the north. It doesnt happen in the center of the country. The only place it happens is Gaza. Why? Bennett knows why. He knows that Liberman and Netanyahu are focused on the northern front. He knows that ever since the Great Return March the popular Gaza uprising by the border fence began last March, around 200 Palestinians have been killed and thousands more have been injured. He knows that another round of mass killing could ignite the Gaza Strip in seconds, which is exactly what Hamas wants. But he is outraged by the current approach. What the other side is actually doing is branding these terrorists as kids with balloons, he said, referring to the ongoing campaign of incendiary balloons and kites launched from the Gaza Strip to the south of Israel. But the people launching them are not kids, and those are not balloons. They are terrorists with explosives, Molotov cocktails, incendiary and explosive-carrying balloons, and a variety of other means, which are becoming more and more dangerous. I expect the defense minister to get the entire system in line so that we can end this party. Ive been saying since day one that anyone who launches an incendiary balloon should be shot. Thats what any other sovereign state would do. If Hezbollah fighters infiltrated Israel tomorrow, they would be killed at once. The same thing should happen to Hamas. You want to be defense minister, I said to Bennett. Thats the whole story, isnt it? Bennett did not deny his ambitions but claimed that they were irrelevant. I am fighting for my positions. I fought when there was reconciliation with Turkey [in 2016], but unfortunately, I did not succeed then. I fought the decision to take away the metal detectors installed at the entrance of the Temple Mount compound [in 2017], and I lost, but I did succeed on other issues. We prevented the government from releasing terrorists, and now we are fighting to ensure Israeli deterrence in Gaza. We are fighting to maintain Israels sovereignty. The question that really embarrasses Bennett is why he insists on attacking the defense minister and not the prime minister himself. After all, Netanyahu is the final authority on all matters concerning policy. He can whip up Cabinet support and order the IDF to change its policies along the southern front. Netanyahu holds the keys, and while Bennett wont admit it, attacking Netanyahu now would be political suicide. The prime ministers strength among right-wing voters and even a significant part of the Israeli center is unprecedented. Bennett knows that he only stands to lose if he attacks Netanyahu, even if he does so with very detailed arguments from the right. He knows that Netanyahu will cannibalize him again in the rapidly approaching next round of elections. Bennett fears that the scenario of the last elections when Netanyahu managed to bring HaBayit HaYehudi supporters to vote for Netanyahus Likud will repeat itself. That is why Bennett must find himself another target that he can use to highlight and hone everything that distinguishes him from the other leaders of the Israeli right. His target is Avigdor Liberman. Liberman doesnt really like his new status as Bennetts electoral punching bag and responds with everything he has in his arsenal. As aforementioned, he calls Bennett messianic. He exposes his political goals. He says that Bennett may attack the governments policies in the media, but he still votes for them and has an impact on the decision-making process within the Cabinet. Liberman is trying to build up a reputation as the pragmatic, sensible and sane right. The problem is that the space for this to the right of Netanyahu is too narrow for both Bennett and Liberman. This leaves them fighting like alligators over a pond that is rapidly drying up. They both know that one of them will eventually be forced to concede. What they are fighting over now is which one of them it will be. More fox and raccoon attacks have been reported in the Fairhope area, the Alabama Department of Public Health announced Friday. A woman was attacked by a fox at her home in a residential area of Fairhope when she went outside on her porch to feed her cat Wednesday, ADPH officials said. She was immediately attacked by the fox and was bitten on her calf and thumb, officials said. The fox was not caught. On Thursday, another woman was bitten by a raccoon while she was in the parking lot of Thomas Hospital in Fairhope. Officials were able to catch the raccoon, which tested positive for rabies. Both women have begun post-exposure rabies treatment that consists of series of injections as prophylactic treatment, officials said. Health officials recommend people bitten by animals that aren't proven to have rabies still undergo rabies treatment. "Foxes have bitten seven people and two dogs in Baldwin County since May 21. This is especially disturbing since these incidents have occurred in densely populated areas," Environmental Director Greg Dunn, Southwestern District. Rabies is usually transmitted by direct contact of infected saliva, usually through a bite or scratch. Other less common exposures can happen through contact with mucous membranes like the eyes, nose and mouth. "Rabies prevention is multifaceted; it involves people taking precautions with wildlife, making sure their pets are current on rabies vaccinations, and always reporting an animal bite or other exposure to their medical provider or the health department," said State Public Health Veterinarian Dr. Dee W. Jones. Area residents are advised to take the following precautions to avoid possible exposure to rabies: Do not allow pets to run loose; confine them within a fenced-in area or with a leash. Do not leave uneaten pet food or scraps near your residence. Do not illegally feed or keep wildlife as pets. Do not go near wildlife or domestic animals that are acting in a strange or unusual manner. Caution children not to go near any stray or wild animal, regardless of its behavior. Advise children to tell an adult if they are bitten or scratched by any animal. A person who is bitten or scratched by an animal should wash wounds immediately with mild soap and water, apply first aid, and seek medical attention or contact the county health department immediately. Alabama state law requires that dogs, cats and ferrets 12 weeks of age and older be current with rabies vaccination. Rabies vaccines are also available for horses and other livestock if recommended by a veterinarian. Vaccinating animals reduces the risk of rabies infection should an exposure occur, which helps protect animals, as well as their owners and caretakers. For more information about rabies and prevention, please contact the Baldwin County Health Department at (251) 947-3618. You may also call ADPH at 1-800-338-8374 or (334) 206-5100 or visit http://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/infectiousdiseases/rabies. Law enforcement leaders taking part in a national initiative to reduce violent crime said an effective strategy in Alabama has been to steer the worst offenders to federal court where there's no chance of parole after a conviction. State, federal and local officials held a news conference today at the U.S. attorney's office in Montgomery to mark the one-year anniversary of an anti-crime initiative spearheaded by Attorney General Jeff Sessions. They said the program, Project Safe Neighborhoods, has built effective partnerships between federal, state and local crime-fighters that are getting results. A key step, they say, is using federal firearms laws and the certainty of prison terms to put criminal ringleaders out of commission. Project Safe Neighborhoods aims to root out the worst offenders, including those involved in drugs and organized crime rings that fuel violence. David Hyche, the ATF agent in charge of Alabama, said those hardened offenders are generally unafraid of prosecution in state courts because of the expectation of parole. "If a criminal is arrested and they think they're going into the state system in Alabama, it's not a great tool to use to try to get cooperation because they know they're not going to be there long," Hyche said. "And often they use that as a badge of honor, 'Hey, I just served time.' There's no fear." There's no parole in the federal system. Offenders serve at least 85 percent of their sentences. "There's great fear when somebody is sentenced to 15 years and they determine they have no parole," Hyche said. Hyche said law enforcement can use that certainty of prison time to gain cooperation from offenders in tracking down the sources of guns used in crimes and targeting organized crime. "And there are criminal organizations that are violent operating in the state of Alabama," Hyche said. U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Alabama Richard Moore speaks at a news conference on Project Safe Neighborhoods, a Department of Justice Initiative to target the worst criminal offenders, partly through prosecutions on firearms charges. (Mike Cason/mcason@al.com) The three U.S. attorneys for Alabama, Louis Franklin of the Middle District, Jay Town of the Northern District and Richard Moore of the Southern District, said the partnerships with state and local police are working. Franklin said he worked on Project Safe Neighborhoods when it was started under Attorney General John Ashcroft in 2001. He said the program has been revitalized under Sessions. A key component, Franklin said, is using firearms laws to go after some of the worst offenders, such as felons who have lost their gun rights but still use firearms. "Drug traffickers who possess and use firearms do so for three reasons," Franklin said. "To protect their drugs. To protect their assets. And to protect themselves while they're trafficking in illegal narcotics. Franklin said Project Safe Neighborhoods helped Montgomery achieve a 16 percent drop in violent crime in May but said there is more work to do. Town said Project Safe Neighborhoods applies a philosophy similar to what authorities used when they prosecuted renowned gangster Al Capone for tax evasion in the 1930s. An example of that approach, he said, would be obtaining a federal conviction and 33-month prison sentence on a firearms charge for a criminal ringleader. That person might be guilty of more serious crimes, but the gun charge offers a more certain route to prosecution and takes the offender off the streets for a time. "We give those citizens in that neighborhood, that community, their neighborhood back, they're the rightful owners, for that 33 months," Town said. "That's better than nothing. That's better than hoping that we can put an actual homicide case or a shooting case or some other violent crime case on that individual." In the Southern District of Alabama, the U.S. Attorney's Office has charged 192 cases with 205 defendants in federal gun crimes in the past 12 months, a Department of Justice news release said. Statistics from the Mobile Police Department showed that from Jan. 1, through the end of September, violent crime dropped by 1.7 percent, criminal homicides dropped by 34.4 percent and robberies dropped by 9.4 percent, the news release said. Montgomery County District Attorney Daryl Bailey, one of the officials at the news conference, said Alabama's reliance on federal prosecutions is unacceptable. "It is really embarrassing for me to stand back here and listen to all the great things that they're doing, and I applaud them because they're doing great things," Bailey said. "But it's embarrassing that the feds have to come in and save us. We should be doing that for ourselves. But we don't have anybody who has the courage to do that right now in the state of Alabama, in my opinion. "Nobody is stepping forward and saying we need to do something about it and we need to do something about it immediately." Bailey restated concerns he had expressed earlier this week. On Thursday, his office released a letter he wrote to Gov. Kay Ivey asking her to investigate what he said was the alarming rate of paroles for violent offenders granted by the Alabama Board of Pardons and Paroles. Bailey said sentencing reforms passed by the Legislature in recent years has lowered the proportion of Alabama state prisoners who are nonviolent offenders. Bailey said the reforms were needed. But he said the result has been that the remaining prison population is made up mostly of violent offenders. Because Alabama's prisons are overcrowded, Bailey said he believes the parole board is under pressure to grant parole for violent offenders. "That's the only rational explanation I can give," Bailey said. "Because why else would a parole board be doing what they're doing right now?" Darrell Morgan, an assistant director for the Board of Pardons and Paroles who handles media relations for the agency, referred AL.com to a statement issued earlier this week: "The Agency's position is we do not have data showing a dramatic increase in violent inmates being considered for parole prior to their original set date. If such data exists from another entity, we would be happy to analyze their numbers. There have been no procedure changes that would generate an increase in cases considered fitting your description." Morgan said he expected the board to have additional response next week. Daniel Sparkman, spokesman for Ivey, said the governor plans to meet with Attorney General Steve Marshall and a member of the parole board on Oct. 15. On Thursday, Sparkman said Ivey had met with the victims' advocacy group VOCAL about its concerns. Moveable feasts Anil Jaiswal, 35, makes egg rolls for a living, which he sells for Rs 100 a piece in Thamel, on a cart no larger than an ice cream trolley. On this cart is an old, greasy stove, a chopping board, a few egg cartons, some dough in a container, and a large plastic bag with vegetablestomatoes, cabbage, green chillies, onions, carrots. This small cart is Jaiswals only means of income, with which he feeds his family of four. The State Board of Veterans Affairs voted Friday to proceed with a plan to build a fifth state veterans home in Alabama. It will be in southeast Alabama, but a site has not been determined. The designated region includes Barbour, Butler, Coffee, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Geneva, Henry, Houston and Pike counties. A feasibility study found that Alabama needs a fifth state veterans home and recommended placing it in the southeastern district. The Veterans Homes Committee of the State Board of Veterans Affairs received a presentation on the report Wednesday and voted to recommend the board move ahead with building a home with up to 175 beds. The board unanimously adopted that recommendation today, said Ken Rollins, chairman of the Veterans Home Committee. Rollins said the next steps include determining a site and applying for a federal grant to help pay for the facility. Rollins said the state's four existing veterans homes were all built on donated land. Those homes are in Alexander City, Huntsville, Bay Minette and Pell City. They provide nursing home level care and care for veterans with dementia and similar conditions. The home in Pell City, the newest, also provides assisted living-type care. It opened in 2012. There are waiting lists of at least 80 war time veterans for admission to the homes. There are 354 war time veterans on the waiting list for the Colonel Robert L. Howard State Veterans Home in Pell City. The U.S. Veterans Administration has two long-term care facilities in the state. A Florida man was arrested this week after he allegedly threatened to kill Senators who didn't support Brett Kavanaugh's nomination to the Supreme Court. James Royal Patrick Jr. was arrested Wednesday by the Polk County, Florida Sheriff's Office on charges of making written threats to kill or injure, the Orlando Sentinel reported. The arrest came after a tip about a post Patrick, 53, made on his Facebook page. In the post, Patrick allegedly threatened to shoot Senators and their families based on their confirmation vote. He also reportedly threatened law enforcement that might respond to his home. "Getting ready if Kav is not confirmed," Patrick wrote on his public Facebook page. "Whoever I think is to blame may God have mercy on their soul...just cleaned out the gun shop where I get guns ammo and target practice....bought all their 50 cal hollow points. I expect to be confirmed and I will be ready to kill and ready to die." His posts specifically mentioned Democrats and "weak Republicans," saying those that do not vote for their controversial Supreme Court nominee "need to pay with their lives." Deputies said they found a rifle, handgun and ammunition while searching Patrick's home in Winter Haven. According to the Polk County Sheriff's Department, Patrick admitted to making the comments but said he had no intention of carrying out the threats and didn't name a specific lawmaker so he "thought he could get away with it." Patrick is being held in the Pole County Jail on $500,000 bail. One person was flown to Huntsville Hospital for treatment after being shot in front of a home in downtown Sheffield, authorities said. The shooting happened on Blake Street, just south of Atlanta Ave. Sheffield police said the shooting happened 8:20 p.m. Friday, AL.com news partner WHNT News 19 reported. The victim was taken from Helen Keller Hospital to Huntsville Hospital via medical helicopter, police said. The victim's condition was unknown. Further details about the shooting were not immediately available. The boat looks like some kind of space capsule. The guys planning to row it across 3,000 miles of Navy territory are all from the Army and the English voice on the phone really likes the futuristic-looking tactical tomahawk labeled "anti-piracy measure." "I'm a big fan," says the disembodied voice of Ian Couch, who has been scrutinizing piles of adventure gear via a trans-Atlantic cellphone video connection. "I've got boat envy now. You've got all the toys." Couch mentions that hatchets used to be custom gear, ostensibly because they were handy if someone got trapped in a damaged hull and a hatch had to be chopped open. He says something about having had to outlaw spearguns out of concern that racers might point them, however playfully, at competitors. Between his accent and the distance of the connection, it's hard to say to what extent Couch is joking. Overall, however, it's clear that he's making sure an extremely hazardous venture is being undertaken with all due respect for details that could mean not just success or failure, but life or death. The boat is the Woobie, a lightweight craft whose odd form is dictated by its highly specialized function. Four U.S. military veterans -- team Fight Oar Die -- are competing in the 2018 Talisker Whisky Atlantic Challenge, which calls for competitors to cross from the Canary Islands to Antigua & Barbuda. The Woobie has no mast, no propeller, no clever motivating tech. This is a 3,000-mile, open-ocean rowboat race. Team Fight Oar Die bills itself as "the first-ever all-American, Military Veteran, ocean rowing team to race across the Atlantic Ocean." The intensity of the challenge matches the enormity of the cause they're trying to promote: Awareness of the post-traumatic stress disorder and other post-combat hardships that trouble military personnel after their service. (Fight Oar Die maintains a fundraising site also focused on the issue.) Inside the Woobie's tiny cabins, well-wishers have written words of encouragement. "The trip ahead is a huge challenge," wrote one, "But not as big as the one you are bringing awareness to. God Bless You." One team member, Bryant Knight, has family in Mobile who are members of Buccaneer Yacht Club, and that's why the Woobie and the rest of its crew -- Alex Evans, Beau Maier and Christopher Kuntz -- made Buccaneer their base of operations for a critical period in late September and early October. As Evans and Kuntz conducted a "layout" of their gear for Couch's appraisal on Friday, that time was almost at an end. The Woobie was soon to be trailered to Charleston, there to be loaded into a shipping container for transfer to the race's starting harbor in San Sebastian de La Gomera. In late November, the crew will follow. The race starts Dec. 12. According to its website, 29 teams ranging from solo rowers to five-person squads will participate. Last year a four-man team set a new record by doing it in a mere 29 days. Being a little crazy might help in a venture like this, but that doesn't mean you want to be stupid about it. That's where Couch comes in. He's a rower himself, having earned several Guinness World Records in such events, and he's also the head safety & duty officer for Atlantic Campaigns SL, the company running the race. On the face of it, the layout is a chance for him to inventory Fight Oar Die's equipment, to make sure that they've got everything the rules require and everything they might reasonably need, and to verify that the Woobie is properly outfitted. This proceeds methodically, taking well over an hour, as Evans turns his phone's camera toward whatever is next on Couch's checklist. At one point they spend a few minutes focusing on the antenna bar across the top of the forward cabin, zeroing in on the exact spot where Couch wants a race tracking beacon to be attached. "We'll be using that to monitor your position minute by minute," he says. That sorted, they move on. "Okay, grab lines, external grab lines around the boat," commands the phone. Evans and Kuntz climb off the boat again and display the stout lines rigged along its flanks. Should anyone find themselves in the water, they'll have something to get a grip on. The process continues for the literal boatload of stuff laid out under the Buccaneer clubhouse: food, tools, satellite phones, safety harnesses, emergency gear, more. Couch is impressed that the toilet bucket has a lid that incorporates a seat. He notes Evans's comment that you don't necessarily have to heat the water you put in the dehydrated camping meal packs, you can just use cold water and let them soak a while. "Eating them without heating them up just reminds me of MREs," says Evans. As the process moves on, it's clear that this also is a chance for Couch to sound out the team's fighting stance. He asks how their trial runs have gone, what their duty rotation will be. Most teams use a two-hour rotation, but Fight Oar Die plans to go with three-hour shifts. They also plan to have two guys rowing most of the time, adding a third when conditions require more horsepower. Kuntz says that approach worked well on a recent 24-hour run in the Gulf of Mexico. Coming back into Dauphin Island, the Woobie faced contrary winds and tidal flow. Two men weren't able to make much headway, but three could push on through. "We muscled into it," says Kuntz. "It was a good lesson learned to us." Kuntz, looking on as Evans handles most of the conversation with Couch, says that the three-hour rotation is a product of the team's association with a specialized program at the University of Denver graduate school of psychology, the Sturm Specialty in Military Psychology. The university describes this as the only non-governmental U.S. clinical psychology graduate program focusing on veterans' issues. "We have a few doctors following us," Kuntz says. "They suggested a three-on, three-off cycle because it gives us a better sleep cycle." A guy who's not rowing has one hour to take care of business and two to sleep. Business includes tending the water system that will turn saltwater into something the crew can drink. "We're probably always going to be at a hydration deficit out there," Kuntz says. The association with the University of Denver program is a big plus, Kuntz says, but there's another side of it that brings out quiet frustration in his voice. After 18 years of war, he says, with a generation of soldiers struggling with PTSD and vulnerable to an epidemic of suicide, shouldn't there be many more such programs he asks? Shouldn't the issue be getting a lot more practical attention? "But that's why we're here," he says. The layout goes on. Couch asks if the team has a spare rudder (it doesn't), then suggests including hardware that would allow another component to be used as an emergency rudder if necessary. "One of the things I advise is to look at ways of improvising a rudder if in a worst-case scenario you lose your rudder," he says. "It's kind of a MacGyver way ... It's not a rule requirement, but it's something you can do which will potentially save you a lot of trouble." In his advice there's a recurrent theme: Salt creates problems for skin, and if people exerting themselves continuously in a saltwater environment don't take proper care of themselves, hygiene issues turn into medical issues. The Woobie is well stocked with baby wipes. "Every time you come off the oars, you wipe yourself down with a wet wipe," says Couch. Some of his advice is both practical and psychological. Crews should record their positions every day as a matter of course. By way of filling the session's quota for British understatement, he recommends they don't mark it on their charts every day. "If you do it more than every three days, it's too depressing," he says. "The dots aren't very far apart." Kuntz says the team understands the scope of the effort it will have to put forth to prevail. One measure: The Woobie will carry 48 days of rations, plus 12 days of emergency rations. It's taken the four men two years to get to this point, he says, and they know their mission. "You're fighting the two worst enemies," he says. "Yourself and Mother Nature." This is an opinion column. Judge Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court has been a political slobberknocker. From the moment Trump nominated Kavanaugh, Democrats planned to reject him because they understand the political stakes in replace retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court. So do Republicans. Most Senate Republicans likely intended to support Trump's nominee come hell or high water. We'll keep trading political blows, but deciding Kavanaugh's confirmation with a vote is a testament that our republic still works. As I've watched this proceeding, progressives have absolutely hammered anyone who so much as considers a vote to confirm Kavanaugh as a rational choice. Democrats cast questions about the accusations against Kavanaugh as evidence that Republicans don't take sexual assault seriously. If there's even a non-zero chance of misconduct, the political left demands senators reject Kavanaugh. Kavanaugh's life isn't ruined if he's not confirmed. He would continue to serve as an appellate judge. That doesn't mean the Senate should concede that uncorroborated allegations are enough to derail nominees. Assuming that a nominee isn't charged with a crime, Senators are left with a judgment call over which our elected officials may disagree passionately--particularly in consequential situations like Supreme Court confirmations. Information that allegedly speaks to a lack of character should absolutely be considered by the Senate. Each senator decides the appropriate weight those allegations deserve. That may indeed mean arguing about how much alcohol a nominee drinks and whether we have a shared national definition of a "Devil's Triangle." Sometimes those exchanges won't be particularly dignified, but sometimes we aren't either. I've seen enough of this to know that Republicans wouldn't be any more high minded if the shoe were on the other foot. If Hillary Clinton were appointing a nominee for confirmation by a Democratic-controlled Senate, Republicans would be howling, looking for every shred of incriminating information, and accusing Democrats of trying to rush to a vote. The confirmation process itself demonstrates that placing people in high offices is a tough decision which needs additional oversight. If this process were easy, the Constitution's framers might have allowed the president to unilaterally select Supreme Court justices. The "advice and consent" power of the United States Senate is more than legislative window dressing. Votes are how Americans sort out divisive political issues. It's what makes us unique. The vast majority of us don't resort to violence when we lose in politics. Why? Because we have the opportunity to actually change our representation at the next election. If enough moderate Republicans defect to deny Kavanaugh's confirmation, I'm not going to go attack my friends celebrating such a result. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, I don't expect progressives to storm my home and beat my family. Such reactions rightly seem extreme to most of us. We should keep it that way. Our unruly and increasingly uncivil political culture remains radically preferable to so many regimes around the world. When the dust settles after the confirmation vote, Democrats can work tirelessly to unseat all the Republican senators who voted for Kavanaugh. Republicans will try to stop them and pick up seats of their own. The talking heads will continue to vent on cable news, and social media will host the latest outrage of the hour. Thankfully, our Constitution protects our ability to engage in all of those activities. Whether we're on the winning side or not, letting votes decide our politics is about as American as it gets. Cameron Smith is a regular columnist for AL.com and vice president for the R Street Institute, a think tank in Washington, D.C. This weekend, the pro-independence Scottish National Party (SNP) meets in Glasgow for its fall conference. After more than a decade in power at Holyrood Scotlands devolved parliament in Edinburgh the party continues to defy all the established rules of mainstream politics. It is still riding high in the polls; its leader, Nicola Sturgeon, remains Scotlands most commanding politician; and, in the event of a snap Westminster election, it would stand a good chance of reversing the losses it suffered last year at the hands of Labour and the Tories. However, in recent months, the remarkable durability of Scottish nationalism has come under increasing strain. The SNP faces two significant, even potentially critical, challenges. The first relates to independence: Sturgeon has to decide whether or not to stage a second referendum on separation from the UK. The first, in September 2014, returned a close-run victory for the union. For a while, her plan was to hold indyref2 shortly before Britain leaves the EU in the spring of next year, with the aim of rescuing Scotlands membership of the European bloc. But the rapid shift in favour of independence that Brexit was expected to provoke among Scotlands staunchly europhile electorate simply never materialised. As a result, Sturgeon has been forced to reassess her strategy, leaving many nationalist campaigners waiting anxiously for a poll that could be delayed for years or, indeed, called at a moments notice. The second and arguably more acute problem for the SNP is the #MeToo controversy that currently surrounds Sturgeons predecessor, Alex Salmond. Over the summer, it emerged that two separate allegations of sexual misconduct had been made against Salmond by Scottish government staff members dating back to his time as SNP leader and Scottish first minister. Unhappy with the way the claims had been handled internally by civil servants, Salmond launched a dramatic legal action against his successors government. He then abruptly quit the SNP and set up a crowd-funder to cover his legal costs which directly, and perhaps cynically, linked his fate to that of the Scottish independence movement as a whole. The fallout from this decision has, to put it mildly, divided nationalist opinion. Some activists believe Salmond is trying to leverage his political clout in an attempt to intimidate his accusers, while others including senior party figures see him as the victim of an opaque anti-nationalist conspiracy; the crowd-funder raised $131,200 in three days before Salmond closed off donations. Sturgeon, whose working relationship with Salmond stretches back to the 1990s, has dealt with the issue as sensitively as possible. The complaints should not be swept aside because of the identity of the person involved, she said at the outset of the crisis, in reference to her ex-boss, and the ongoing police investigation into Salmonds conduct must be fair to all parties concerned. Nonetheless, the SNP now finds itself in a deeply uncomfortable position: just as the UK governments Brexit negotiations with the EU reach the breaking point and grassroots demands for a second independence referendum escalate, the party has been plunged into a bitter dispute over the behaviour of its talismanic former leader. Sturgeon is grappling with obstacles on the domestic policy front, too. Last month, one of her administrations flagship education reforms standardised testing for pupils in their first year of primary school was defeated in parliament. And a recent report into the economics of independence commissioned by the SNP and led by Andrew Wilson, a private sector lobbyist with close ties to the party leadership, came under heavy fire from the left for its putative commitment to spending constraints and fiscal discipline. All these factors have contributed to a growing sense of restlessness and inertia among supporters of Scottish independence. In the absence of a clear roadmap to national sovereignty, the so-called Yes coalition that brought Scotland within touching distance of independence four years ago has retreated back into its respective ideological subgroups. In particular, the gap between traditional nationalists who view independence as key to the survival of Scottish cultural identity and left-wing activists who see it in more practical terms as a constitutional mechanism for social and economic change has never been more obvious or entrenched. This matters because, until now, unity had been the cornerstone of nationalist success. In the face of concerted attacks by the British political and media establishments, SNP campaigners remained rigidly focused on one thing: independence, even as other major UK parties notably, the Conservatives over Brexit and Labour over Jeremy Corbyns leadership collapsed into acrimony. It would be an exaggeration to say that unity had vanished completely: dozens of autonomous Yes groups are still active across Scotland and the SNP is conducting a series of member-led national assemblies in a bid to coordinate planning for the next referendum, if and when it arrives. But the adhesive is visibly beginning to wear off. And if the independence movement splinters apart now, no one, not even Nicola Sturgeon, will find it easy to piece back together again. The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial stance. Nepal, Canada bilateral body holds first meet The first meeting of Nepal-Canada Bilateral Consultation Mechanism was held at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Development in Ottawa, Canada, on Friday. Brazil election: Is Haddad the former presidents puppet? Fernando Haddad has little time to convince the undecided that he is not the puppet of the imprisoned former president whom he replaced on the ballot. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil Sitting in a small and airless living room on the edge of northern Rio de Janeiros winding Acari favela, Christian Lucas Fonsecas mother says she is worried. Theres no opportunity for young people, Ana Paula Lucas Fonseca, 45, says. Its very difficult and a lot of mothers have lost hope because they cant control it (their childrens future). Christian left school prematurely nearly a year ago after missing too many classes. He has since faced the daunting prospect of trying to find work amid the sparse opportunities in Brazils stuttering economy. For now, like millions of other young Brazilians, 18-year-old Christian is unemployed in a country suffering from an economic hangover that followed its worst recession in recorded history. Unemployment within the general population stands at above 12 percent, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), but among those aged 18-24 the jobless rate leaps to 26.6 percent. Im trying to find work but Im feeling very unmotivated. I keep going after it but it doesnt work out, Christian says, adding that he aspires to go into the army and move up through the ranks. And with elections looming, one of the pressing issues concerning young voters regardless of who wins is ensuring there are more jobs and other opportunities. Youth lost the most Brazils recession, which began in mid-2014, saw the economy contract sharply from 2015-2016, shrinking by nearly eight percent. Economists speculate the downturn was linked to a variety of factors, including a fall in the global commodity prices, which had previously fuelled an economic boom in Brazil from 2000-2012, domestic fiscal decision-making and several high-level corruption scandals that prompted market uncertainty. What is clear, however, is that the biggest losers during the slump were young people, according to Macelo Cortes Neri, head of the Center for Social Research at the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) higher education institute. The youth lost the most right from the beginning of the crisis, Neri says, pointing to significant falls in income rates among people aged 15-24 in the four years after 2014 compared with the overall population. [And] this crisis is deep and long and has a very long and shy recovery process. More than 12 percent of Brazilians are jobless, according to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics [File: Paulo Whitaker/Reuters] Despite growing modestly again last year, the Brazilian economy remains in fragile health and weak growth is prompting little optimism from young Brazilians about their future prospects. According to the National Confederation of Brazilian Industry, fear of unemployment peaks at 68.6 percent among those aged 16-24 and falls through every older age group until 55 and above. Since September 2017, around the time Brazil officially exited recession, the number has risen by three percent. Educational divides Inextricable from prospects for employment is education. More than 21 percent of Brazilians who fail to finish high school are jobless, according to IBGE. Unemployment among those who complete university studies, by comparison, is 6.3 percent. Wellington Costa, 19, from underprivileged northern Rios Iraja neighbourhood, is hoping to transition from the former group into the latter. Hes trying to finish high school and plans to go proceed on to university to study engineering. But hes currently having to balance his schooling with odd jobs, commonly known in Brazil as be cools, in order to make money to support his family. I feel unsatisfied, it sucks, but I need to keep doing what I must to survive, Wellington, whos dreamed of making submarines since the age of five, says. My financial situation has always been like this, independent of whatever the government is or whether theres a recession or not, he adds. The people writing about unemployment and putting together the data are all in good financial condition and dont really think about how things are affecting the poorer, working classes. Aspiring engineer Wellington Costa, 19, is balancing education with work [David Child/Al Jazeera] According to Neri, Brazilian officials could do more to support young people like Wellington through school and in finding jobs. In terms of education policy, everything after high school is about going to university, but only a few go to university, Neri says. We dont have an agenda for the young in terms of professional education [and] youth becomes a problem when it should be the solution [for the economy]. Squeezed middle class Even those who have undertaken higher education, however, have not been immune from Brazils economic crisis. About 30km south of Acari, in the tree-lined avenues of the largely middle-class Botafogo neighbourhood, sisters Aline and Leticia Domingues da Rosa, both graduates of the Rio-based prestigious, private Pontifical Catholic University, are also feeling the effects of the downturn and a subsequent slow and stuttering recovery. Leticia, 27, was laid-off from her job at a radio station last year as part of severe cutbacks. Along with Aline, 28, she now runs a homemade baking business producing cookies, cakes and other confectionaries. The enterprise has leaned on financial support from the wider family and the sisters own savings. Neither express any confidence they will be able to find work if the business fails to get off the ground. The end of the recession wont be felt yet, in the long run, things might get better, but at the moment, I dont see anything getting better, Leticia says. If I had the money, I would leave Brazil in a heartbeat. Aline Domingues da Rosa, 28, sells cookies, cakes and other confectionaries [David Child/Al Jazeera] Half of all Brazilians aged between 25-34 would like to change countries if they could, according to a survey published by polling institute Datafolha in June. Among those 16 to 24 years old, the number rises 62 percent. Election approaching The disenchantment that has seemingly gripped many young Brazilians comes as the country is set to vote on Sunday as part of national and state-level elections. At stake are more than 1,650 positions, including the presidency. Presidential frontrunner candidates far-right Jair Bolsonaro and leftist Workers Party contender Fernando Haddad, who replaced former widely popular former President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva last month after he was barred from running in the vote, have presented widely different proposals for kick-starting Brazils economy. Bolsonaro, a former army captain, has pledged to cut red tape and minimise the size of the state through privatisation. Haddad, a former mayor of metropolis Sao Paulo and minister of education under Lula, has vowed to cut taxes for Brazils lowest earners and boost employment. Despite leading opinion polls in the run-up to Sundays vote, both also have high rejection rates among the electorate. Costa is one of a number of Brazilians not convinced by either candidate. The election doesnt have much of an impact on me, things are bad and difficult regardless of who wins, so Im going to vote null, he says. For Leticia, meanwhile, none of the candidates present a solution for the economy. But in Acari, where a light flickers momentarily and then sparks into life following a power cut, Christian speaks with aspiration about the future. I dont know much about politics, and I dont know who would be the best politician [But] I hope things will get better after the election, Christian, who didnt register to vote, says. I want a permanent, fixed job. Thats how I will be able to go up in life. Peoples Development Front and Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon join forces as they try to unseat President Biya. Two Cameroonian opposition parties have agreed to form a coalition in an effort to dislodge six-term President Paul Biya in Sundays presidential polls. The announcement on Friday confirms rumours of an opposition manoeuver to try to defeat 85-year-old Biya but the new union will not include the main opposition Social Democratic Fronts hopeful Joshua Osih. Akere Muna, leader of the Peoples Development Front (FDP) agreed to withdraw his candidacy and to support Maurice Kamto who is the leader of the Movement for the Rebirth of Cameroon (MRC), Munas spokesman said in a statement. On Friday, Kamtos party alleged that a massive fraud was under way to ensure the sitting president wins a seventh term. Kamtos campaign chief Paul-Eric Kingue said efforts to rig Sundays ballot had the blessing of the electoral commission. We wont accept any result if this kind of fraud continues, he said at a media briefing by Kamtos MRC in the capital Yaounde. {articleGUID} Cameroons authorities have long faced accusations of unfairly favouring Biya, one of Africas longest-serving rulers, who won 78 percent of votes in the polls that took place in 2011. They were described as flawed by observers and the opposition. Cameroon will place a ban on internal travel by road, rail and air from 17:00 GMT on Saturday until the conclusion of voting. The borders of the central African nation of 25 million people will also be sealed 48 hours before voting day, according to a decree seen by the AFP news agency. Kamtos MRC has alleged that polling cards have been forged and that voter registration has continued despite the process being officially closed. In 62 percent of areas, the [ruling] Cameroon Peoples Democratic Movement party is still adding names to the voter roll, said Kingue. Were not preparing for war, but wherever there is fraud, there will be a firm response. Communication Minister Issa Tchiroma Bakary said in a statement that measures have been taken to prevent any actions that might create violence or disorder around the elections. He added that political figures linked to foreign interests were preparing groups of agitators to stir up violence in the event that the results dont go their way. The minister did not specify who he was referring to. By attempting to spread chaos, they risk being unpleasantly surprised, he said. The authorities would not tolerate any disorder before, during or after the presidential vote, he added. Biya has been in power for 35 years and now faces seven opposition contenders following Munas withdrawal. The opposition frontrunners are Osih and Kamto. The agency has officially asked China for information about the disappearance of the Meng Hongwei on a trip to China. The International Criminal Political Investigation (Interpol) has officially asked China for information regarding the disappearance of the agencys President Meng Hongwei on a trip to China. However, the Chinese government has not said anything publicly yet about Mengs disappearance. His disappearance was made public on Friday, when French authorities said they were opening an investigation to find out what happened to Meng, a Chinese national who served a lengthy term as the vice minister for public security. According to a report by the South China Morning Post newspaper, Meng was taken in for questioning by Chinese authorities. The paper, which based its reporting on an unnamed source, said the reason for Mengs questioning was unknown. Interpol said in a tweet that the case was a matter for the relevant authorities in both France and China. Mengs disappearance was originally reported by his wife, who told French police in the city of Lyon she had not heard from him since he travelled to China. Meng was last seen in Lyon, Interpols home base, late September. Al Jazeeras Adrian Brow, reporting from Beijing, said Chinas silence is a reflection of how sensitive this case is. So far China has said absolutely nothing about the disappearance of Meng Hongwei. State-controlled media is so far not reporting this story either and any mention of his name on social media is being deleted, he said. {articleGUID} That is I think a reflection of how sensitive this case is. According to Interpols website, Meng has nearly 40 years of experience in criminal justice and policing, and has overseen matters related to legal institutions, narcotics control and counterterrorism. Following the appointment, critics suggested that Mengs appointment gave Beijing a chance to enlist more international help in tracking down alleged economic criminals, including corrupt officials, targeted by President Xi Jinpings anti-corruption campaign. But Interpol has, in the past, denied this, saying its head does not intervene in day-to-day operations, which are handled by secretary-general Juergen Stock who is German. Operation Fox Hunt Al Jazeeras Brown added that Meng was vice minister of the Public Security Bureau prior to his Interpol appointment and that made him a very powerful man. For some context, [Mengs] boss is a man who was jailed for corruption. Zhou Yongkang was the J Edgar Hoover of Chinese politics, he was the security tzar of China, he said. Then, in 2016, another vice minister of public security was jailed for corruption, so there is a pattern emerging. It is quite possible that Meng found himself on the wrong side of the political divide in China, at a time when President Xi Jinping is intensifying his crackdown on corruption. The Chinese clampdown on corruption, known as Operation Fox Hunt, has led to claims in some countries that Chinese law enforcement agents have been operating covertly on their soil without the approval or consent of local authorities. Some critics also view the campaign as a way for President Xi to purge the party of political foes. Since it began, several top officials have been detained and charged with crimes including severe disciplinary violations, a phrase that usually refers to corruption. DR Congo: Six dead in Beni after suspected ADF attack Witnesses say a group of armed fighters killed four soldiers and two civilians in North Kivu near the border with Uganda. Officials say at least 50 killed after oil tanker collided with vehicle in Mbuba village, 200km southwest of Kinshasa. At least 50 people were killed and more than 100 sustained burns after an oil tanker collided with a bus on a highway in the west of the Democratic Republic of Congo. According to witnesses and officials, villagers had rushed to collect the leaking fuel when it caught fire on Saturday. We have about 50 dead and a 100 people have suffered second-degree burns, Atou Matabuana, the interim governor of Kongo Central region, said. Officials were preparing to identify the charred bodies and bury them, Matubuana added. The accident occurred in the village of Mbuba, not far from Kisantu city and about 200km southwest of the capital, Kinshasa. Kisantu is on the main highway between the capital and the countrys Matadi seaport. Overloaded trucks carrying goods as well as oil tankers regularly ply this highway. A doctor at the Saint-Luc hospital told AFP that they had taken in many patients for the most part with second-degree burn injuries. We are trying to help them, we are trying to rehydrate them but sadly there are those who are dying, Doctor Tresor said. Two mobile clinics are evacuating the injured, he said. The UNs Okapi radio said the flames spread rapidly engulfing nearby houses. Matabuana said that the government has taken measures to take charge of all the victims. But photographs on social media showed the injured being transported on motorbikes and private cars. A witness said he had not seen any ambulance at the site. {articleGUID} No ambulance and no hospital worthy of its name in Kisantu. Preventing this kind of disaster, lets just not speak about it said the pro-democracy movement Lucha (Struggle for Change) in a tweet. The UN mission in DR Congo, known by its French acronym MONUSCO, said it had sent nine ambulances to the spot to evacuate the injured. In 2010, more than 200 people were killed when a tanker truck overturned and burned in DR Congos South Kivu province. Many of the victims had been trying to collect the leaking fuel when it caught fire. A forensic report revealed Greek polices failure to prevent the murder of Pavlos Fyssas by far-right Golden Dawn party. By Judge Kavanaugh looks poised to ascend to the Supreme Court, but there could be a price for supporting the nominee. The US Senate is expected to confirm Brett Kavanaugh as the next Supreme Court judge, offering President Donald Trump a big political win and tilting the nations high court decidedly to the right. The Senate vote, expected on Saturday afternoon, will bring an end to a nomination process defined by harrowing testimony from Christine Blasey Ford, who said Kavanaugh groped her and tried to remove her clothing when they were both teenagers. Kavanaugh has denied the allegations. A contentious Senate committee hearing, during which Ford testified, led to a limited FBI investigation into the allegations. Kavanaughs confirmation was all but sealed on Friday when he won the support of key Senate Republicans Susan Collins of Maine and Jeff Flake of Arizona, as well as that of West Virginia Democrat Joe Manchin. Their statements of support brought the number of senators supporting Kavanaugh to 51 in the 100-member chamber. Manchin said he was voting in favour of Kavanaugh because it what is best for West Virginia. He is running for re-election this year in a traditionally Republican state. {articleGUID} Collins looks poised to fight a tough re-election campaign in 2020 because of her decision to back Kavanaugh. A crowdfunding effort for her challenger who has not been selected raised well over two million dollars. The money will only be collected if Collins votes to confirm Kavanaugh. Collins called the campaign bribery. All eyes were also on the decision of Democrat Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota, who is also running for re-election in a traditionally Republican state. Last year, Heitkamp, along with Manchin and one other Democrat supported Neil Gorsuch, Trumps first Supreme Court pick. Heitkamp, however, announced on Wednesday she would be voting no on Kavanaugh. Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, which has the highest rate of sexual assault in the US, has indicated that she will vote against Kavanaugh, the only Republican to do so. The Supreme Court nominee is assumed to be an anti-abortion rights choice for the court. According to a Washington-based news site The Hill, many anti-abortion rights Democrats are shying away from their previous stance on reproductive rights, fearing a backlash from the Kavanaugh hearings. No Democrat in a competitive race for a seat in the US House of Representatives is running on an anti-abortion rights platform, The Hill said. Not a meaningful investigation Prior to the key senators announcements, much of the focus was on the contents of the FBI probe into the allegations. Senators and select aides spent hours in a special room on Thursday and Friday, reading the secret document. Republicans maintained the report did not corroborate the sexual assault allegations. Collins said it seemed very thorough. Democrats, however, called it very limited, saying that the most notable part of the report into sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh is not whats in it. Senator Dianne Feinstein, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said that the report looks to be a product of an incomplete investigation. Two other women have also made allegations of sexual misconduct against Kavanaugh, which the judge strongly denies. Fords lawyers also questioned the handling of the investigation altogether. An FBI investigation that did not include interviews of Dr Ford and Judge Kavanaugh is not a meaningful investigation in any sense of the word, Fords lawyers said in a statement on Friday. Had the FBI interviewed Dr Ford, she would have answered questions about Judge Kavanaughs assault, including questions that Ms Mitchell [who questioned Ford on behalf of Republicans] and the Judiciary Committee members failed to ask during the hearing, they said. Hundreds arrested Meanwhile, the days of protests on Capitol Hill against the Kavanaugh nomination have resulted in hundreds of arrests, according to Capitol Police. On Thursday, protesters poured into the Senate office buildings, chanting believe survivors. After Manchin announced how he planned to vote, dozens screamed Shame on you! and You betrayed us!. Reacting to the protests, Trump touted a conspiracy theory popularised by the European far right, claiming that the protesters had been paid by the Jewish Hungarian American billionaire George Soros. There is no evidence to back up this claim. Smaller protests in favour of Kavanaugh have also taken place. What happens next? Senate rules allow for 30 hours of debate after Fridays procedural vote before the final vote takes place. If both parties decline to use their allotted time, which is divided equally, the debate could end before the 30 hours are used. A final vote is expected sometime after 19:30 GMT. Missing Saudi journalist Khashoggi supporters rally in Turkey Supporters call for the Washington Post columnists release outside Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul from where he went missing on Tuesday. Kavanaugh takes oath after Senate votes to confirm him following bitter battle between Republicans and Democrats. Brett Kavanaugh has been sworn in as the 114th US Supreme Court justice after the Senate narrowly voted to confirm him. The confirmation on Saturday ended a bitter battle between Republicans and Democrats during a confirmation process that transfixed the nation following allegations of sexual misconduct against the nominee, which he has denied. Senators voted 50-48 in favour of Kavanaugh, Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Montana opposed the nomination, but voted present out of courtesy for fellow Montana Senator Steven Daines who was out of town for his daughters wedding. He was in favour of Kavanaugh. The confirmation is seen as a clear win for President Donald Trump in his efforts to further push the court to the right. I applaud and congratulate the US Senate for confirming our GREAT NOMINEE, Judge Brett Kavanaugh, to the United States Supreme Court, Trump tweeted just after the vote. Kavanaugh replaces Justice Anthony Kennedy, who retired earlier this year. Although Kennedy was seen as a conservative judge, he was often a swing vote on key issues such as reproductive rights, affirmative action and gay rights. Kavanaughs confirmation comes a little less than three weeks after Christine Blasey Ford publicly accused Kavanaugh of sexually assaulting her in the 1980s. According to Ford, the judge groped her and tried to remove her clothing at a party when they were both teenagers. Two other women also came forward with sexual misconduct allegations against Kavanaugh. The judge has vehemently denied the allegations. {articleGUID} Fords allegations disrupted what had appeared to be a relatively smooth confirmation process for Kavanaugh. Following the accusations, both Ford and Kavanaugh gave emotional testimonies in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. The testimony eventually led to a limited FBI investigation into the allegations. On Thursday and Friday, senators and select aides read the secret FBI report. Republicans called it very thorough, while Democrats said the report looks to be a product of an incomplete investigation. Fords lawyers denounced the probe, saying an FBI investigation that did not include interviews of Dr Ford and Judge Kavanaugh is not a meaningful investigation in any sense of the word. Kavanaughs confirmation seemed all but sure on Friday when key Republicans and one Democrat, who had been undecided on the nomination, said they would support the judge. {articleGUID} Republican Senator Jeff Flake of Arizona and Susan Collins of Maine cast their votes in favour of Kavanaugh. Democratic Senator Joe Manchin of West Virginia was the sole member of his party to vote for the nominee. Manchin is running for re-election in his traditionally Republican state. November is coming! Saturdays confirmation may give Trump a boost as he continues to hit the campaign trail on behalf of Republicans in the lead up to Novembers midterm elections. It may, however, also galvanise Democratic supporters. Bill Schneider, a US political analyst, said that the confirmation process represents a turning point for the country. It really captures the polarisation, not just of the Court, but of all American political institutions and of the country, Schneider told Al Jazeera. President Trump was elected because of that polarisation, he added. He exploited it in ways that no president before him has ever done, and the country remains as bitterly divided as it has been since the Civil War in the United States. Several polls show that Republican enthusiasm about voting, which had lagged behind, jumped after the Kavanaugh hearing last week. Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell told the Reuters news agency that the political brawl over Kavanaugh will help Republicans at the elections. Nothing unifies Republicans like a court fight, McConnell said in an interview before the vote. Its been a seminal event leading into the fall election. But Democrats hope women angered at the Kavanaugh accusations will turn out in large numbers to vote out Republicans. Thousands of protesters gathered on Capitol Hill prior to the vote, chanting November is coming! and Vote them out!. At least 150 people were arrested. Some also disrupted the vote in the Senate chambers. A smaller group of Kavanaugh supporters also gathered. Protesters wore the comments President Trump has made about women as they demonstrated outside the Supreme Court: pic.twitter.com/RjTl5uMpj9 AJ+ (@ajplus) October 6, 2018 After the vote, protesters moved to the Supreme Court building and occupied the steps. Online, some activists reported that police started to arrest those refusing to leave. One protester told Al Jazeera that she was not surprised by the vote. I honestly I wish I was surprised but Im not, we all knew that this was going to happen, she said. But we all wished that there was some bit of shame in them (the senators) that they wouldnt confirm him but we all kind of knew it was going to happen, she added. The Womens March tweeted that the movement is going to become strong because we are fighting for our lives. Women and especially women of colour are voting, we are running for office, and we are organizing in numbers large enough to overturn every last remnant of the Trump Agenda. Our movement is only getting stronger because we are fighting for our lives. Women and especially women of color are voting, we are running for office, and we are organizing in numbers large enough to overturn every last remnant of the Trump Agenda. Women's March Text WOMENSWAVE to 44310 (@womensmarch) October 6, 2018 Senator Dianne Feinstein, the senior Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, said on Twitter: Confirming Brett Kavanaugh in the face of credible allegations of sexual assault that were not thoroughly investigated, and his belligerent, partisan performance undermines the legitimacy of the Supreme Court. Nepal joins Nursing Now Campaign Nepal has adopted the global Nursing Now Campaign to improve the contemporary health issues by training its nursing staff. At least a million Venezuelans have fled amid ongoing crises which President Maduro blames on an economic war. Venezuelas government has announced the creation of a new police force to strengthen border controls as thousands of people continue to flee the countrys spiralling political and economic crises. In a televised address on Friday, Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said the new Migration Force will start taking control of Venezuelas 72 official entry and exit points immediately. She added that the specialised force would reinforce the existing controls at ports, airports and border crossings. It is intended to assist in monitoring migration, according to Rodriguez, who said its establishment will ensure the truth will come out and not the imperial lies that Washington want to be sold to the world. {articleGUID} Once one of Latin Americas wealthiest countries, Venezuela has been hit hard by a drop in oil prices from 2014, with the economy further weakening under the fiscal mismanagement of President Nicolas Maduro. According to the United Nations, more than a million Venezuelans have fled the country since 2015, with Colombia being one of the most popular destinations. The influx has overwhelmed aid agencies and forced new arrivals to set up makeshift tent communities in some parts of the capital, Bogota. The spreading crisis is also affecting Brazil, Peru, Ecuador and several other American countries. Colombian aid agencies are struggling to cope with the influx of Venezuelan refugees and migrants [File: Luisa Gonzalez/Reuters] Tense relations Colombias President Ivan Duque, a long-standing critic of Maduro, has ramped up his attacks in recent months, branding the Venezuelan governing a dictatorship and recently calling Maduro a devil who hates Venezuela. In Fridays speech, Rodriguez poured bile on Colombia, saying Venezuela was a victim of a campaign of falsehoods to justifying something that will never happen, an international intervention. {articleGUID} The Venezuelan government claims to have taken in some eight million Colombians, displaced during Colombias decades-long internal warfare between government forces and rebel groups. Colombia says the figure is closer to 900,000. Colombia is one of seven countries which issued an unprecedented petition to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on September 26 to investigate Maduro for crimes against humanity. It is the first time ICC member countries have asked for a probe into a fellow member. The investigation was initially proposed by Argentina, Colombia, Chile, Paraguay and Peru, with Canada and France later adding their support. {articleGUID} Maduro has denied any migration crisis, asking the UN to be more sincere in its figures. He has also rubbished claims that the chronic lack of food and medicine in Venezuela has led to a humanitarian crisis. He blames the situation on an economic war being waged against Venezuela by the US and other foreign powers. In September, it was revealed that officials from the Trump administration held secret meetings with Venezuelan military officers to discuss plans to overthrow Maduro. Willie Sutton, a bank robber during Prohibition, is famously quoted that he robbed banks "because that's where the money is." His insight has become known as "Sutton's Law," or "follow the money." Drier writers use the Latin cui bono, or "who benefits?" In short, Sutton's law tells us a lot about how we should understand the circus surrounding Judge Kavanaugh. Brett Kavanaugh sailed through his confirmation hearings because he is a solid candidate for the Supreme Court. But Senator Dianne Feinstein concealed the letter from Christine Blasey Ford until the committee vote was pending. Then she leaked it, and the firestorm started. She denies leaking, but the evidence is pretty clear that Feinstein is either the arsonist or gave the match to the arsonist. While Feinstein's leak is a clear violation of trust with Dr. Ford, it's also an ethical violation. Senate Judiciary Committee Rule II, 1 presupposes fourteen-day advance notice of witnesses in regular order. There was no reason to not present Dr. Ford in regular order. If her wish to not testify was sincere, then she shouldn't have appeared at all. The only excuse for a late reveal was to delay as a Hail Mary pass to derail the nomination. Ethics be damned! Feinstein had her willing accomplices in the media, who located two other accusers to lend credence by piling on. If you can get more "victims," obviously Kavanaugh will be more guilty. One of them, Julie Swetnick, was found to be so in-credible that the New York Times reported the allegation but included that fact that "[n]one of Ms. Swetnick's claims could be independently corroborated[.]" Now Ms. Swetnick is walking back her sworn complaint, saying, "I don't know what he did." How many times do we have to hear this song to realize it's time to turn off the jukebox and get a new D.J.? If we don't pull the plug, this will just get worse and worse. Fortunately, Willie Sutton shows us just what we need to do. Every time the Democrats pull a stunt like this, one of two things happens. Either it works, and they get what they want, or it fails, and they move on to another drama. In other words, either they rob the bank and get the money or they miss, just to try later. Unlike Willie Sutton, they don't go to jail. They don't even skip a turn. They just miss their two hundred dollars. The currency in government "service" is not necessarily dollars, even though many profit handily. Rather, the quid for their quo is power. The longer you serve, the more powerful you become, and power is a powerful aphrodisiac. This tells us where to find the solution to our problem. We have to shut off the power. That brings us back to the Senate. Dianne Feinstein is the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee. If the Democrats flip the Senate in November, she'll assume the chair and can stick her thumb in President Trump's eye any time she wants. That's raw power, and it is intoxicating. But what if she is actually charged with an ethics violation, as Senator Cotton suggests? In theory, with great power comes great responsibility. A proper penalty for her ethical violation would be expulsion from the committee. What about Julie Swetnick? Her offense is a bit more obvious and easy to prove. She submitted a sworn statement, and both her subsequent statements and other investigation will show that she perjured herself. Lying to Congress is a felony under 18 USC 1001. She could go to jail for up to five years. That's not trivial, and it points out the value of prosecuting this sort of sordid fabrication. Laws exist to show us what sort of behavior is acceptable. But the fact that they punish those who misbehave serves as a disincentive for those who might do wrong. Even if the DOJ loses the case, the mere fact that Swetnick would have to defend herself would be a huge deterrent for someone else launching a phony attack against an otherwise qualified candidate. Swetnick, Ford, and the other accusers have acted in the anticipation that even if they are not successful, they will suffer no consequences. Their fifteen minutes of fame will pass, and they will go about their lives. So the next time the Democrats issue a cattle call, the pigs will line up again at the trough, expecting a heaping helping of GoFundMe and television face time. But suppose that Swetnick is publicly shamed (even convicted) through a public trial of her demonstrated perjurious actions. The left may scream that a hero for women is being humiliated. Or the left may ignore her, since she has already served her purpose as a useful idiot for the moment. In either case, another line of liars will be more careful about coming forward, since the pain of legal action is not hypothetical the way their accusations are. This brings us to the larger issue. Punishing the useful idiots does little to the power-hungry leftists who exploit them. There will always be GoFundMe contributors to lessen the cost. The Democrats at the top who solicit these lies should suffer. In the case of Michael Avenatti, the crime is subornation of perjury (18 USC 1622). But for Dianne Feinstein and others of her ilk, the solution must be directed at the currency in which she is paid by this evil: power. The first fix must be to explicitly state the implication of Senate Judiciary Committee Rule II, 1. The chair must set a date certain by which all contrary evidence must be submitted before it can be considered. No Johnny-Come-Lately will be allowed to bollix up the works. If the next Christine Blasey Ford has information, she must volunteer it to the committee by a pre-set cutoff date. Next, Senator Feinstein must undergo an FBI investigation into how Ford's letter found its way to the media. At the same time, she must undergo a Senate Ethics Committee review, with the possibility of being removed from the Judiciary Committee. This would remove her reward, taking the piggy bank she craves away. If she were demoted to "just another senator," Feinstein would lose her reason to be in the Senate. With Feinstein gone, another Democrat would take her place, since for the time being, California is locked in the throes of a leftist coup. But that Democrat would think twice about pulling a stunt like Feinstein did. Not having the benefits of your seat is as bad as not having your seat. This won't solve everything, but it's a beginning. The Rule of Law is the only thing that separates us from being Zimbabwe or Venezuela. A little bit of law applied to our lawmakers seems to be a modest place to start. They won't be as anxious to rob that bank if there's no money there to steal. A lot of MSM people are hyperventilating that Donald Trump has been exposed by the New York Times as a tax cheat, a criminal. For example, Catherine Rampell of the Washington Post lit into President Trump over his alleged "tax dodging," in effect accusing him of a crime. She said Trump "ducked" the tax code and implied that funding cuts to the IRS made it easy for him. She frets that "as president, Trump has worked diligently to either preserve or multiply other tax breaks his family has benefited from," apparently referencing the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act, an Act of Congress. Why doesn't she explain to her readers what a Grantor Retained Annuity Trust (GRAT) is? She should let them know why families are allowed to take minority discounts and non-marketability discounts on closely held stock and investment properties. It does not appear that she, the New York Times, and all the other people writing this garbage accusing Trump of fraud or dubious tax schemes understand that the Trumps had to have appraisals for everything she did. I am over 99% sure that IRS went through 100% of the appraisals and valuations used to transfer the properties. Each gift tax return plus the final estate tax return would have been thoroughly audited before the taxes were finalized. De Blasio and the N.Y. attorney general seem to have nothing better to do than to re-investigate Trump for something that has already been thoroughly investigated. It is truly a shame that so many supposed journalists just repeat Democrat talking points over and over again with little concern for the truth. I don't recall when so many unverified, anonymous or gossip stories were used in supposedly reputable papers to destroy people just to promote an agenda. It is pathetic that so many greedy people think the government, bureaucrats, and politicians think they are entitled to so much of what other people earn. It is especially appalling that they think families should be forced to sell off assets to satisfy the government instead of allowing people to continue creating jobs with productive businesses. Reporters say the IRS needs more money. Have they analyzed the IRS budget line by line to make sure the billions they get each year are spent wisely? Maybe if the IRS did their job instead of stifling the free speech of groups they don't like and destroying computers to hide evidence, they wouldn't need more money. And it would be a good start if the IRS were allowed to fire employees who don't pay their own taxes. The head of the Illinois Fraternal Order of Police, State Lodge president Chris Southwood, blasted the guilty verdict in the Jason Van Dyke trial, saying, "This is a day I never thought I'd see in America, where 12 ordinary citizens were duped into saving the asses of self-serving politicians at the expense of a dedicated public servant." It's a point of view shared by many Chicago police officers who are often on the firing line in the most violent city in America. Chicago Sun-Times: "This sham trial and shameful verdict is a message to every law enforcement officer in America that it's not the perpetrator in front of you that you need to worry about, it's the political operatives stabbing you in the back. What cop would still want to be proactive fighting crime after this disgusting charade, and are law abiding citizens ready to pay the price?" The head of the FOP in Chicago, Kevin Graham, was more cautious in his response to the verdict. He told reporters outside the courtroom where the verdict was read that he was disappointed in the finding and said that many police officers he talked to didn't agree with the verdict. He said he personally was upset the case had been used by critics to attack the entire police force. "They have used this case to really kick around the Chicago Police Department, which has been unfortunate," he said. Van Dyke, a 14-year veteran of the Chicago police force with a long history of citizen complaints for excessive force, fired 16 shots into the body of a 17-year-old black teen, Laquan McDonald, in October 2014. He was convicted of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm. One can certainly understand why there would be bitterness by police over the politics of the situation. In fact, city leaders up to and including Mayor Rahm Emanuel are guilty of trying to cover up the incident. The shooting was originally ruled as justified, but it took more than a year for dash cam video of the confrontation to be released showing Van Dyke pumping several shots into the back of the motionless body of McDonald lying on the ground. By any reasonable standard, Van Dyke was guilty of a homicide. But the officer was charged with first-degree murder because he told police who arrived on the scene before the killing that "you're going to have to shoot the guy," thus proving intent to the jury's satisfaction. He was convicted of second-degree murder because of "mitigating circumstances." The city erupted in protests that have gone on for three years. Black activists used the incident as political leverage to pressure the mayor to sign a consent agreement that radically alters the way that Chicago police will be able to do their jobs. Other activist groups have lionized McDonald who had a record as long as his arm as some kind of civil rights hero. The bottom line, as stated by the prosecutor in his closing argument, is that McDonald deserved to be arrested, not killed. So there is something to the complaint that politics played a role in the trial and verdict of Van Dyke. But before we rush to defend the police department, it should be noted that there are currently three officers under indictment for tampering with and destroying evidence in the case. This goes to the basic corruption of the police force in the city, which, even more than the consent decree, makes it harder for Chicago cops to do their jobs. Van Dyke is one of those cops who slipped through the cracks and got on the force. His superiors looked the other way when citizens complained about his use of excessive force. He never should have been issued a badge and a gun in the first place. How many Van Dykes are still out there patrolling the streets of Chicago? New York? L.A.? It's true that the overwhelming majority of police are decent, courageous, and honest. But until we can figure out how to weed out the undesirables and prevent them from serving, there will be more shootings like that of Laquan McDonald to deal with. Susan Collins of Maine rose yesterday to give a thoughtful and well reasoned speech on the floor of the Senate in support of Brett Kavanaugh. She decried the destructive nature of the confirmation process. This was one of the finest speeches in Senate history and ranks among the greatest of statesman moments. Our Supreme Court confirmation process has been in steady decline for more than thirty years. One can only hope that the Kavanaugh nomination is where the process has finally hit rock bottom. Collins is not a lawyer, yet she provided a thoughtful analysis of Kavanaugh's legal thinking: In a dissent in Seven-Sky v. Holder, Judge Kavanaugh rejected a challenge to the ACA on narrow procedural grounds, preserving the law in full. Many experts have said his dissent informed Justice Roberts' opinion upholding the ACA at the Supreme Court. ... Judge Kavanaugh has been unequivocal in his belief that no president is above the law. He has stated that Marbury v. Madison, Youngstown Steel v. Sawyer and United States v. Nixon are three of the four greatest Supreme Court cases in history. What do they have in common? Each of them is a case where the Court served as a check on presidential power. And I would note that the fourth case that Judge Kavanaugh has pointed to as the greatest in history was Brown v Board of Education. ... Judge Kavanaugh described the Obergefell decision, which legalized same gender marriages [sic], as an important landmark precedent. He also cited Justice Kennedy's recent Masterpiece Cakeshop opinion for the Court's majority stating that: "The days of treating gay and lesbian Americans or gay and lesbian couples as second-class citizens who are inferior in dignity and worth are over in the Supreme Court." ... Noting that Roe v. Wade was decided 45 years ago, and reaffirmed 19 years later in Planned Parenthood v. Casey, I asked Judge Kavanaugh whether the passage of time is relevant to following precedent. He said decisions become part of our legal framework with the passage of time and that honoring precedent is essential to maintaining public confidence. Collins went on compare Judges Kavanaugh and Merrick Garland, the D.C. chief judge nominated by Obama but not given a hearing by the GOP Senate, and found that they are both mainstream: That Judge Kavanaugh is more of a centrist than some of his critics maintain is reflected in the fact that he and Chief Judge Merrick Garland voted the same way in 93 percent of the cases that they heard together. Indeed, Chief Judge Garland joined in more than 96 percent of the majority opinions authored by Judge Kavanaugh, dissenting only once. This leads some on the right to argue that his nomination by Trump was a mistake. However, with such a slim margin in the Senate, Kavanaugh is a substantial constitutionalist. One could not imagine the level of vitriol aimed at Kavanaugh. It is mostly aimed at Trump. Collins forcibly explained the need for the presumption of innocence in our nation. It is our only protection from the mob or dictators: The presumption of innocence is relevant to the advice and consent function when an accusation departs from a nominee's otherwise exemplary record. I worry that departing from this presumption could lead to a lack of public faith in the judiciary and would be hugely damaging to the confirmation process moving forward. Some of the allegations levied against Judge Kavanaugh illustrate why the presumption of innocence is so important. I am thinking in particular not of the allegations raised by Professor Ford, but of the allegation that, when he was a teenager, Judge Kavanaugh drugged multiple girls and used their weakened state to facilitate gang rape. This outlandish allegation was put forth without any credible supporting evidence and simply parroted public statements of others. That such an allegation can find its way into the Supreme Court confirmation process is a stark reminder about why the presumption of innocence is so ingrained in our American consciousness. Today, the final vote will take place. Senator Joe Manchin of WV will join Collins and the other Republicans to give Kavanaugh a victory. Senator Murkowski of Alaska will be the sole Republican voting against the judge. But the vicious attacks have energized the Republican base, and this will likely mean gains in the Senate. It will most likely lessen losses in the House for Republicans, too. Last week, Senator Graham of S.C. gave one of his finest speeches in the Judiciary Committee hearings. Two of the more moderate Republicans have risen within a week to spur on the party to counter unreasonable and unwarranted hate and dishonesty by the opposition. This is the beginning of a new period and heralds a better future for our nation. A good week for America! Image: Medill DC via Flickr. Sen. Susan Collins of Maine, the maverick Republican who will cast the deciding vote in the confirmation of Judge Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, has got the left unhinged. For years, she's been the bane of Republicans because she's strongly pro-choice (or pro-abortion, depending on how you want it put) and she's also shown a willingness to support the detested Obamacare setup for health care. She famously cast a vote to acquit Bill Clinton of impeachment charges back in 1999. Sounds a bit soft and mushy, right? 'Cuz, hey, she's a woman? Her Kavanaugh vote today says no. For all her appearances of leftishness, she seems to have a thing against being pushed around, and her independent backbone is not confined to Republicans. That comes as a shock to the left because she was, up until now, always "theirs," and pushing her around was the left's whole plan. They used the foulest tactics, far worse than the media reported, according to Sen. Marco Rubio. And it all backfired, so they're seething yet, incredibly, not stopping. With the witch hunt over, they are coming for the heretics. In doing the same thing over and over again, they aren't going to get a different result. It was quite a sequence for them, though. Leftists started early in the confirmation process, well before the Christine Blasey Ford accusations, zeroing in on Collins over most other Republicans, in the hopes of bludgeoning her into submission to their party line. First, dangling offers of money: A crowdfunding website is trying to strong-arm Senator Susan Collins, the Republican from Maine, by giving more than $1 million to her 2020 opponent unless she opposes Judge Kavanaugh. Donors are asked to make a financial pledge and then enter their credit-card information. As of Tuesday afternoon, 37,425 people had put down $1,041,878. The fine print makes clear the quid pro quo: "Your card will only be charged if Senator Susan Collins votes for Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court." To avoid the money bomb, all Ms. Collins must do is vote "no." That cash, by the way, snowballed to $2.9 million at the latest reading, an intimidating prospect, indeed. Money didn't work, and Collins called it what it was: bribery. The Wall Street Journal in its editorial above explained why that was accurate: But federal law defines the crime of bribery as "corruptly" offering "anything of value" to a public official, including a Member of Congress, with the intent to "influence any official act." The crowdfunders in this case are offering something of value withholding funds from her opponent in return for a Supreme Court confirmation vote. "I have had three attorneys tell me that they think it is a clear violation of the federal law on bribery," Ms. Collins says. "Actually, two told me that; one told me it's extortion." Second, the left tried rabid threats and piggery. According to USA Today: Collins, in particular, seems to have become the focus of the stop-Kavanaugh movement. The senator's office has reported receiving threatening calls and letters as well as more than 3,000 wire coat hangers in grim a reference to the unsafe, illegal abortions that abortion-rights defenders say would follow the end of Roe v. Wade. And a controversial crowdfunding campaign has raised more than $1.1 million to give to a future Collins opponent if she votes to confirm Kavanaugh. Well, that didn't work. Leftist threats to rape Collins's staffers in the name of standing up for women's "health" had a weird way of not being persuasive. They then tried political warnings. The Huffington Post warned that if Collins voted for Kavanaugh, she was commiting "political suicide" because Democrats were going to win anyway. More persuasive. They also tried symbolism, mailing her thousands of coat hangers, as if coat hanger abortions were just around the corner (instead of going on now, given the state of supposedly "safe" abortion clinics). Lovely. Way to persuade, Democrats. All of this was well before Blasey Ford's accusations came out, and when that happened, the left just escalated: leftists flooded her with protests and warnings and the wails of domestic violence survivors turned activists. According to left-wing Vox: She became "the most sought-after senator in Washington," as Vox's Dylan Scott put it, meeting with multiple sexual assault survivors as she weighed her final decision on Kavanaugh. Vox noticed that she was specially targeted as a woman, and then whined at the end of its piece that she was supposed to be independent which, to the left, means always voting Democrat. When Collins refused to be pushed around by that, leftists let the dogs out. Planned Parenthood declared her a heretic, saying she could no longer call herself "a champion of women's rights" as the famous sellers-of-baby-parts outfit defines such things. Now they are talking Senate challenges this, to a multi-term senator who won her seat with two thirds of Maine's voters. Former Obama administration national security adviser Susan Rice and a minor left-wing Maine politician, Rep. Chellie Pingree, along with a much disciplined (and not in a good way) doctor who's constantly in trouble with the authorities, have all thrown their hats in to challenge Collins, though Rice seems to have retracted her offer. All a lot of voters can see is that there's a big pot of money waiting and probably dollar signs in some of their eyes. Protests, protests, protests, and now the Senate challenges as the last resort now that there's a heretic to burn. The New York Times, in a 2,000-word piece on Collins, failed to mention any of this disgustingness. As Rubio said, the tactics were far fouler than reported. Yet Collins stood firm, scolded the hell out of the Democrats, seeing right through them, and the left isn't stopping. It continues its campaign to vilify, threaten, and harass her, so her massive majority among Maine's voters is now likely to just get bigger now. Voters notice these things. And Collins is standing tall and powerful. Funny that the left, despite getting slapped in its fat mug for its "persuasion" tactics over and over, hasn't. It just wants to keep coming back for more. Wikipedia pretends to be a new kind of crowd-sourced, non-profit "people's encyclopedia" containing fair and unbiased material. In theory, anyone is allowed to edit material, thus providing a wide range of input rather than one expert's ideas as in conventional encyclopedias. I have written one entire entry, on my great-grandfather, who was a candidate for president. I have edited a few other entries to correct errors. The theory is great, but in practice Wikipedia, like most media ventures, is a vehicle for liberal ideas. Two examples may suffice. The Wikipedia entry on fascism follows the liberal line that the political spectrum runs from fascism on the right to communism on the left. This is nonsense and the basis for the constant references to conservatives as "Nazis" by liberals, who fancy Nazis to be fascists. Any meaningful political spectrum would run from total freedom, or anarchy, on the right to totalitarian government with no freedom on the left. The Nazis were, in fact, socialists, and as Jonah Goldberg wrote in Liberal Fascism, they differed from the Soviet communists only in methods, not intended results. When I edited the entry to provide some balance, my edit was rejected in its entirety. In its entry on Fox News, Wikipedia says, "Fox News has been described as practicing biased reporting in favor of the Republican Party, the George W. Bush and Donald Trump administrations, and conservative causes." I added to that paragraph, "just as networks such as CNN and CBS have been accused of biased reporting in favor of liberal causes." It took the editors eight minutes to reject and remove my addition. This despite the fact that the entry has this label: This article reads like a press release or a news article or is largely based on routine coverage or sensationalism. Please expand this article with properly sourced content to meet Wikipedia's quality standards, event notability guideline, or encyclopedic content policy. On CNN, Wikipedia is much more laudatory and has only a few paragraphs suggesting any bias. Even that has a cautionary label saying: This section only describes one highly specialized aspect of its associated subject. Please help improve this article by adding more general information. The talk page may contain suggestions. (November 2017) Both CNN and Fox have a separate topic on "controversies," along with other news outlets. On many matters, Wikipedia's information is useful. When it comes to politics, you are likely to get the same viewpoint you would get from the New York Times or CNN. The gatekeepers make certain of that. Police arrest 3 men with ancient Tibetan book worth Rs2million Police have arrested three persons in possession of an ancient Tibetan book believed to be worth nearly Rs 2 million in Dolakha district. Dolakha police said on Friday that Shivahari Thapa, Tek Bahadur Thami and Uddhav Gautam of Bhimeshwor Municipality-3 were arrested with the book that has 49 pages with Buddhist texts written in gold ink. When you submit to a power structure, you legitimize and reinforce its power. When you defy a power structure, you delegitimize and undermine its power. Brett Kavanaugh's confirmation to the Supreme Court isn't merely good for the Court or for the political right in America (despite my personal distaste for his love affair with executive power); it is both a real and a deeply symbolic victory for the true resistance movement in modern America, the resistance to the actual dominant forces here, the forces of Cultural Marxism. Republicans in the Senate could have buckled beneath the weight of the lying press's ceaseless, screeching anti-Trump, anti-Kavanaugh propaganda, but they didn't. Republican men (and even Republican women) in the Senate could have followed the press's marching orders and bought in to the lie that their political careers were over when they dared to stand up to the #MeToo movement and its neo-Bolshevik sponsors, but they didn't. It is a good day to be an American, because Americans are supposed to be all about resistance to rigid, extractive, and crooked power structures. The Cultural Marxist power structure in Washington is nothing if not rigid, extractive, and crooked. Kavanaugh's nomination, like Trump's election before it, was a victory for the people over the demonic forces in Washington that lord it clumsily but viciously over the people, in thorough opposition to our interests. I do not think it an exaggeration to claim that the power structure in Washington, which is supposed to represent us, wants our religion and traditions abolished; our people replaced with hordes of third-world peons; our sons sacrificed for Middle Eastern kingdoms and kleptocracies; and our civilization transformed into a Soviet dystopia, where #MeToo show trials pass as justice and the law has no relationship whatsoever with the text it is supposed to be premised upon. The press will tell you Kavanaugh's confirmation debases the Court's standing because Kavanaugh isn't an objective judge, but a biased ideologue and partisan. Leon Trotsky's Mad Aunt Ruth (Ginsburg) isn't biased or partisan, however. Her many offhand, highly political statements, and her many crude attacks on President Trump, never managed to undermine the standing or the independence of the high court, according to that same press. Funny how that works! The press will also tell you Kavanaugh is morally unfit to be a justice because he may have committed some venial sins as a youth. Of course, Democrat Beto O'Rourke isn't equally morally unfit to serve in the U.S. Senate despite committing burglary in his youth and getting behind the wheel while drunk and then fleeing from the police. Of course not! His far more serious and actually corroborated sins are not disqualifying...because your Cultural Marxist overlords said so. The press will likewise tell you Kavanaugh's nomination is a disaster for America, as Trump's electoral victory was a disaster for American democracy. What the press really means is that Kavanaugh's confirmation, like Trump's electoral victory before it, is a disaster for smug Western elites and for the dominance of their twisted Marxist values. So, let's just cut the nonsense. Everything and everyone the left-wing press and power structure oppose, they oppose to advance the Cultural Marxist cause, and everything and everyone they support, they support to advance the Cultural Marxist cause. It's not about right and wrong, or justice and injustice, or putting an end to sexual assault, or anything of the sort. It is about advancing Cultural Marxism, nothing more, nothing less. The left doesn't have a problem with partisans on the high court; it has a problem with our partisans on the high court. It doesn't object to putting flawed men into power; it just doesn't want our flawed men in power. The left's support for Bill Clinton, despite his checkered past, proves this definitively, and the left's support for (former?) black nationalist Keith Ellison, despite his checkered present, proves that the left is ready and willing to pardon serial sexual abusers who have engaged in abuse not as minors or in their remote past, but recently as adults, even when there is actual physical evidence confirming that abuse, so long as those abusers support the political left's agenda. Since the baseless Kavanaugh accusations were never about anything except advancing leftism, and since the left's deplorable plot to derail Kavanaugh's nomination failed, it follows that Cultural Marxism was not advanced, which means that the left-wing power structure lost indeed, was beaten back by our own forces. When you defy a power structure, you delegitimize and undermine its power, which means that the Cultural Marxist left's grip on the throat of America is slipping. If that is not something to celebrate, nothing is. We are all taught at an early age not to rejoice in the unhappiness of others. Yet, watching the leftist mob and liberal press scream at the inevitable confirmation of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court, decent, law-abiding Americans can't help but feel joy in their hearts. Why is this so? I can think of a number of reasons: 1. The demise of mob rule. Far-left activists believed they could overturn the Senate's confirmation process by harassing senators. At first, it seemed to work with the aptly named Jeff Flake. But Republican senators quickly stiffened their spines and were unmoved. 2. Guilty before proven innocent has been rejected. The narrative that a Supreme Court nomination is a "job interview" and not a trial and therefore standards of innocence and guilt do not apply was refuted by none other than Susan Collins, who reinforced the commonsense wisdom that of course people should be considered innocent before being found guilty, whatever the situation. The fact that this nugget of common sense came from Collins, a liberal female Republican, made it all the more powerful and harder for the liberal media to refuse. 3. The newest virtue class, alleged victims of sexual assault, were found not to be invincible. President Trump was severely criticized by the establishment media for pointing out that Dr. Ford's account of her alleged sexual assault was full of gaps and thus not so believable. Yet, after he did this, the dam seemed to break, and other Republicans found the courage to resist people who claimed to be "sexual assault survivors." Check out this video of Orrin Hatch merely waving to a far-left activist. Listen to the outrage in her voice as she screams, "How dare you?," as if she is stunned that anyone would dare make an ambiguous hand gesture to someone as virtuous as herself. Or check out the expression on this woman's face when Lindsey Graham refuses to be intimidated by her victim group credentials. The hard left is panicking because more and more people are feeling free to ignore screaming activists. 4. Even liberal Republicans are turning against the leftist narrative. Perhaps most surprising is that the strongest voices against the new victim class are moderate and even liberal Republicans like Lindsey Graham and Susan Collins. When the hard left has gone so far that it has even alienated liberal Republicans, you know that leftists have overplayed their hand. 5. The results of the election have not been overturned. President Trump won the election and the right to name Supreme Court justices. Leftists, not interested in elections, only results, tried to stymie his ability to name justices, in effect overturning the election. They failed. 6. President Trump's Supreme Court legacy is now equal to Obama's. Now the president has made two Supreme Court picks in two years, as many as Obama did in eight. 7. The liberal media narrative is unmade. The liberal media narrative is that you are a sexist if you challenge the accounts of any of these self-proclaimed "survivors," egged on by radicals like Mazie Hirono, who asserted that men should "shut up" and accusers should always be believed. Susan Collins stabbed that narrative in the heart with a giant stake when she talked about the importance of innocence before guilt. She's just as responsible as President Trump for making it possible to challenge uncorroborated accounts of "survivors" and will make it more difficult for Democrats to use them as weapons in the future. 8. This debacle could cost the Democrats three Senate seats. The media narrative is that this whole confirmation process will alienate women against Republicans. But curiously, women in red states seem to be suffering a different kind of alienation, an alienation from those who tried to trash Judge Kavanaugh's life record with uncorroborated accusations. This could cost Claire McCaskill of Missouri, Joe Donnelly of Indiana, and Jon Tester of Montana their Senate seats. It has probably already cost Heidi Heitkamp of North Dakota her own. 9. This searing experience may prevent Kavanaugh from going left over time. Republican appointees sometimes drift left over time to seek the approval of the liberal media, like David Souter and more recently John Roberts. But Clarence Thomas, after the searing events of his own confirmation, never did. I suspect that this experience may harden Judge Kavanuagh's attitude. He knows full well that the left tried to destroy him, and I suspect that it may make him less sympathetic to their pleas for "social justice" when he joins the Court. So there are plenty of reasons to be happy with the left's unhappiness. The tyrants, bullies, and would-be masterminds have failed once again. Ed Straker is the senior editor of Newsmachete.com. Secretariat meet to settle issues rocking ruling party In an effort to defuse discontent brewing within the party after senior leader Madhav Kumar Nepal publicly criticised the leadership and the government, the ruling Nepal Communist Party (NCP) has called its secretariat meeting on Sunday. 1. Yes. Council members appear to have taken time to review each section carefully. 2. Yes. The council has set up town halls and a public hearing to inform the residents. 3. No. The council should have set up a charter review committee, including residents. 4. No. Some of the items proposed so far benefit the council more than the community. 5. Unsure. Its hard to say until after the public has had more opportunities to weigh in. Vote View Results Image: University of Dayton Research Institute AVwebs weekly news roundup found reports of recently released drone strike research, the launch of a mobile avionics and maintenance service, an improved propeller blade measuring system, a new flight animation system, a free safety webinar and a discussion of international pilot medical standards. The University of Dayton Research Institute recently released itslatest drone-strike test data, which replicated a midair collision at 238 miles per hour. The testing was conducted by firing a 2.1-pound DJI Phantom 2 quadcopter at the wing of a Mooney M20 aircraft. New Jersey-based Metrix AV is launching a mobile avionics and maintenance service designed to help aircraft owners meet the upcoming FAA ADS-B mandate. Company personnel will travel to client locations to retrofit general aviation aircraft with the avionics and ADS-B instruments. In other maintenance news, Aeroscan announced that it has improved its Aeroscan M5 blade measurement system. The system, which uses laser sensor technology to measure propeller dimensions, is now fully automated and more accurate. CEFA Aviation is introducing its Aviation Mobile Services (AMS), which can deliver tablet-viewable flight data feedback after landing. According to the company, CEFA AMS wirelessly collects flight data recorder information and provides animations of selected flight segments within 10 minutes of landing and will enhance situational and operational awareness for aircrews. Also regarding digital teaching tools, the Helicopter Online Ground School will be hosting afree safety webinaron Oct. 9. The webinar will discuss using the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (HEMS) weather tool to assist with flights below 5,000 feet. Finally, a group of British MPs and American Senators and Congressmen wrote a letter to the CAA, FAA and EASA asking for a new bilateral agreement on medical standards for private pilots. As it stands, pilots who fly in both countries must maintain separate medical certificates for each. The letter calls for equal recognition of medical certificates between the two countries. I recently heard the following between Kansas City Center and an airliner. The airliner was trying to top some weather and had been granted an even altitude even though he was flying west, because he was too heavy to go any higher. Kansas City Center: Airliner 123, how long til you can go up? I have to sell this wrong way to Denver. Airliner: About 15 minutes. Slight pause, then: Kansas City Center: Well, what do you know? I told Denver you were the pride of the fleet and its your birthday, and he took it. Contact Denver Center on 133.9. Airliner: How did you know? Don Stansberry Huntsville, TN The Hong Kong government has denied the Financial Times Asia news editor their visa renewal, the first time the publication has had a problem with getting their accreditation for its foreign correspondents. The details: Victor Mallet, who has run FT's news operations in Asia for two years, was the acting president of the Foreign Correspondents Club of Hong Kong in August when it was highly criticized from Chinese and Hong Kong officials for hosting a talk by the leader of the pro-independence Hong Kong National party. On Sunday evening eastern time, the UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change is scheduled to release its special report on the risks and benefits of limiting global warming to 1.5C, or 2.7F, above preindustrial levels. Why it matters: The report is expected to contain sobering findings about how difficult it will be to meet the 1.5-degree target, which is an aspirational goal contained in the Paris Agreement on Climate Change. Every country in the world except the U.S. intends to honor the 2015 agreement, and the report will help inform negotiators in the next round of climate talks, set for December. By the numbers: We are currently on track for global warming of between 2.7 to 3.7C by 2100, according to Kelly Levin, a scientist with the nonpartisan World Resources Institute. To meet the 1.5-degree target, we'd need to reach net zero emissions by mid-century, and negative emissions thereafter, using carbon removal technologies. Emissions in 2030 would also need to be about 50% less than 2010 levels. Yes, but: Current emissions projections show the world is on track to increase emissions through 2030. Between the lines: Some climate scientists are making clear that the 1.5-degree target, which is seen as low-lying island nations' best hope for long-term survival, is effectively out of reach. For example, the report is expected to call for a scaling up of carbon removal technologies, such as direct air capture, in order to reach negative emissions as soon as possible. That alone will be a heavy lift, since these technologies are currently in their infancy. "Overall, the idea that we can limit warming to 1.5C is so ridiculous that it doesn't seem to even merit thinking about it," said Andrew Dessler, a climate scientist at Texas A&M University. "It is technically feasible for me to fly to the moon in the next 10 years, but it is clearly not feasible in a broader sense. With 1.5C it is potentially feasible from a technical perspective, but unless the political, social and technical aspects of feasibility are aligned, it is not going to happen." Glen Peters, research director at the Center for International Climate Research in Norway Tom Damassa, climate program director at Oxfam America, told Axios that even 1.5 degrees of warming will cause hardships for millions. We're already seeing widespread changes due to the nearly 1-degree of warming experienced so far. "1.5 [degrees] was never going to be some sort of magical threshold. I hope what the report makes clear is there is no safe level of climate change, Damassa said. At his rallies, President Trump's base gets fired up about the creation of a Space Force. And behind the scenes, the Pentagon is pushing to stand it up on deadline. But publicly at least, it's not much more fleshed out than the idea. The big picture: A stated objective of the new force is to pull together U.S. space operations 90% of which remain under the Air Force to defend satellite infrastructure and combat adversaries. But as of now, the U.S. is far behind its rivals in organizing militarily in space. Between the lines: Russia has had sophisticated launch systems for decades, in addition to another that tracks objects more than 30,000 miles above the Earth, according to the CSIS 2018 Space Threat Assessment. "Our main rivals in space have already begun reorganizations to elevate space within their military establishments," Todd Harrison, senior fellow at CSIS, told Axios. have already begun reorganizations to elevate space within their military establishments," Todd Harrison, senior fellow at CSIS, told Axios. Both China and Russia are working to field anti-satellite weapons "that could blind or damage sensitive space-based optical sensors, such as those used for remote sensing or missile defense," according to a February report from the Director of National Intelligence. to field anti-satellite weapons "that could blind or damage sensitive space-based optical sensors, such as those used for remote sensing or missile defense," according to a February report from the Director of National Intelligence. China recently launched an anti-satellite weapon useable against orbiting military, missile-warning and communication satellites, per the assessment. an anti-satellite weapon useable against orbiting military, missile-warning and communication satellites, per the assessment. The debris such a strike would produce could linger for generations and interfere with satellites. What's next: The Pentagon and Air Force have separately estimated $8 billion and $13 billion budgets for these tasks over the next five years, respectively. They expect to complete a new U.S. Space Command by the end of this year, and to include the cost of standing up a space force in the President's 2020 Budget Request. By Trend Thanks to the measures taken to develop viticulture, one of the oldest and traditional spheres of the Azerbaijani economy, growing more productive grape varieties and improving the quality of wine production, the winemaking sector has entered a new phase of development. The viticulture and wine-making complex of Shirvan Wines LLC in Shamakhi district, which opened with the participation of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on August 25, aims to bring back the former glory to this sphere, to contribute to the development of wine-making tourism and to take its rightful place in foreign markets. For the first time in Azerbaijan, there are plans to annually produce 1.4 million liters of wine (1.866 million bottles) at a plant specializing in the production of organic wine by using advanced technologies at all stages - from planting grape seedlings to supplying the consumer with ready-made wine. The plant carries out intensive work on ISO 22000 certification of wine recognized by the EU as organic one. The natural climatic conditions of the Meysari village of Azerbaijans Shamakhi district, the volume of annual precipitation, temperature indicators, as well as the results of analyzes of soil samples taken from various places of the territory and carried out in various laboratories in France, confirm that there is an opportunity to grow high-quality and productive types of grapes. At the stages of selection, planting, rendering agrotechnical care to the seedlings according to local conditions, the collection and processing of grapes, regular consultations are held with experts specializing in the viticulture sphere of France. All these are factors that cause the production of high-quality winemaking products that are easily competing in the markets. The results of tests on the quality and safety of samples of white dry wine Sadaf, red dry wines Marjan and Makhmari Premium of the Meysari brand, carried out in the test laboratory of the Food Safety Institute of the Azerbaijan Food Safety Agency, confirmed their compliance with the requirements of world and Azerbaijan standards. When conducting the tests, the Agencys laboratory used certified material from the French company BIPEA, and all results were confirmed according to this standard. The work carried out on the application of modern technologies in the field of organic wine production, compliance of product quality and safety indicators with the requirements of local and international standards, as well as international certification of the plant creates an opportunity for Shirvan Wines LLC to gain credibility in global markets by its competitive products in a short time. On August 25, 2018, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev and First Lady Mehriban Aliyeva attended the opening of a viticulture and wine-making complex of Shirvan Wines LLC as part of a trip to Shamakhi district. By Trend Azerbaijans State Customs Committee hosted a joint meeting of the boards of the State Customs Committee and the Ministry of Taxes to discuss the implementation of the Action Plan to improve the control system of export-import operations approved by the decree of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev dated July 28, the State Committee said in a message. The meeting was attended by chairman of Azerbaijans State Customs Committee, Lieutenant-General of the Customs Service Safar Mehdiyev, Minister of Taxes Mikayil Jabbarov, as well as the heads of relevant structures. Mehdiyev touched upon the importance of the flawless implementation of the presidential instructions to both structures in a short period of time. Mehdiyev also noted that the State Customs Committee and the Ministry of Taxes established links of effective cooperation and all entrepreneurs and business entities will feel the benefit of this cooperation in their daily activities. In turn, Jabbarov noted that holding the meeting in an expanded format will serve expanding cooperation between the two structures and the joint activity will be continued in the future to successfully fulfill the instructions of President Ilham Aliyev. The minister also noted the need to intensify the work envisaged by the action plan. He added that the measures taken to coordinate the activities of the customs and tax authorities will have a positive result. Then the representatives of both structures made a report on the work on the implementation of the action plan and spoke about the organization of the mutual exchange of information, a single platform for risk management, changes in the legislation and other issues. By Trend The attempts of bringing the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists to the negotiating table are not only unacceptable but also dangerous, Azerbaijani MP, Vice-President of the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA) Azay Guliyev said. He made the remarks at a meeting of the Standing Committee held during the PA autumn session. Guliyev added that a quarter of a century has passed since the beginning of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, but, unfortunately, no progress has been achieved in solving the problem. Armenia grossly violates the norms and principles of international law, the decisions of the UN Security Council and the UN General Assembly, the Helsinki Declaration of the OSCE PA, adopted in 2015, continuing the illegal occupation of Azerbaijans territories, he said. Commenting on President of the OSCE PA George Tseretelis proposal about holding a meeting of the heads of parliaments of the countries that are parties to the conflict, Guliyev said that he would soon inform them about the official position of the Azerbaijani parliament on this issue. "I think that we must use all possible means to resolve the conflict, including the meeting of the heads of the parliaments of Azerbaijan and Armenia, he added. This can give a certain impetus to the negotiation process and help change the existing status quo." Guliyev clarified two main components of the current situation related to the conflict settlement for the members of the Standing Committee and the Bureau of the Parliamentary Assembly. Indeed, if we do not take into account bilateral meetings of the foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, there are currently no real negotiations at the highest level, he added. The negotiation process has been suspended by the new leadership of Armenia. After Pashinyan came to power, he pointedly turns a blind eye to the results achieved so far and refuses from the format of negotiations within the OSCE Minsk Group, he said. Thus, he tries to change the format of the peaceful settlement of the issue and bring the Nagorno-Karabakh separatists to the negotiating table as an independent side. There are two sides of the conflict - Armenia and Azerbaijan. This has been confirmed by the international community and OSCE." Guliyev stressed that Pashinyans unrealistic and unreasonable attempts to change the existing format are aimed at disrupting the peace negotiations and completely abandoning them. "Each of us can clearly imagine the dire consequences of disrupting the negotiation process for peaceful settlement of the conflict," he said. Guliyev added that Baku is ready to support a joint decision that the Armenian and Azerbaijani communities of Nagorno-Karabakh will made about their future within the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan, supported by international organizations. The MP drew the attention of PA members to another aspect that should be clarified. Some people mistakenly call the conflict as Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is wrong, Guliyev said. Besides Nagorno-Karabakh, seven more adjacent districts of Azerbaijan are under occupation, the territory of which is three times bigger than the territory of Nagorno-Karabakh, and the population is six times bigger than the population of Nagorno-Karabakh - Aghdam, Fizuli, Jabrayil, Gubadli and Zangilan districts. These seven districts are not connected with Nagorno-Karabakh and we witness that Armenia uses these territories and politically manipulate them, he added. The status of this region is not a topic for discussion. "Armenias armed forces must be unconditionally withdrawn from these lands, he said. This issue cannot be a far-fetched topic of compromise." In his speech, Guliyev stressed that by continuing the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding areas, creating an illegal puppet regime there, the political leadership of Armenia must not forget that it will not achieve anything. "Such steps will not change anything and will not bring peace and prosperity to Armenia, he said. On the contrary, they will complicate the situation even more and end the lives of numerous young people." 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. By Trend Konstantin Zatulin, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the Lower House of Russian Parliament, is attempting to undermine the strategic partnership that exists between Russia and Azerbaijan, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Karimli told Trend. According to Karimli, such activities of the Russian deputy is unacceptable and should be seriously discussed. "This issue should also be discussed in the Russian Parliament. Zatulins responsibilities include regulating relations with the CIS countries. This person should strive to improve Russia's relations with these countries, rather than slander," Karimli said. The MP added that Zatulin's position does not reflect Russia's position on Azerbaijan. "It is known that Zatulin has close ties with Armenians and always depends on the Armenian lobby. Therefore he always slanders Azerbaijan. His attempt to undermine relations between Azerbaijan and Russia is unacceptable. In general, we need to seriously address this issue, because Zatulin is a state official," Karimli added. The MP added that the Azerbaijani embassy in Russia should raise this issue in the Russian Foreign Ministry and Parliament, because Zatulin seeks to belittle Azerbaijan. By Trend Azerbaijan cannot take as Russia's position the words of Konstantin Zatulin, the Deputy Chairman of the Committee on CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots of the Lower House of Russian Parliament, the Member of Azerbaijani Parliament Chingiz Ganizadeh said Oct. 5 at a plenary session of the Parliament, commenting on Zatulins latest aggressive statements against Azerbaijan. Ganizade noted that demonstration of such a position by the deputy chairman of the committee of the Lower House of the Russian Parliament is unacceptable. "Naturally, we cannot accept his words as Russia's position. Zatulin argues that if war breaks out in Nagorno-Karabakh, this could lead to the collapse of Azerbaijan. He also claims that Azerbaijans policy does not correspond to what is reflected in the bilateral documents," the Azerbaijani MP said. He said Zatulin, by drawing on someone's personal opinion, is trying to present it as a policy of Azerbaijan. "Naturally, we strongly condemn it," Ganizade said. The Azerbaijani MP also spoke about the relations of Zatulin with the Armenians. "Zatulin took part in the "parliamentary election" of the separatist regime established in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, and this person was included in the list of undesirable persons of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan," the Azerbaijani MP said. By Trend The development of Azerbaijan-Vatican relations is a geopolitical phenomenon for the beginning of the 21st century, which has no analogues, editor-in-chief of Baki Xeber newspaper, expert Aydin Guliyev told Trend on Oct. 5. The 21st century began with interfaith, interethnic and intercultural conflicts worldwide, he added. "During this period Azerbaijan began to more consistently carry out conceptual universal policy which became exemplary for the whole world, he said. The foundations of state policy facilitating the full manifestation of all the creative power of interethnic and interreligious solidarity within the country were created and implemented." For the whole world today Azerbaijan has become one of the rare exporters of tolerance and multicultural values, Guliyev added. "This factor is as valuable as Azerbaijans exports of oil and gas." The expert said that the visits of the Pope of Rome to Baku, the contribution of the Heydar Aliyev Foundation to the improvement in the Vatican, as well as the fact that the Vatican attaches particular importance to political and diplomatic ties with Azerbaijan testify to that. There is no other Muslim country in the world, which has made such a contribution to the Muslim-Christian understanding, as Azerbaijan, he said. For the world shrouded in conflicts, deeper cooperation between Azerbaijan and the Vatican has historical and universal significance. Such a policy of Azerbaijan has played a decisive role in smashing Armenias strategy demonstrating the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a Christian-Muslim confrontation. Guliyev also said that the Azerbaijan-Vatican relations are of strategic importance not only from the point of view of the interests of the two countries, but also for the whole world. By Trend The State Migration Service of Azerbaijan detained 92 foreigners as part of the measures taken over the past four days against illegal migration, the service said in a message Oct. 5. Among the detainees, 18 people violated the stated objectives of their arrival in Azerbaijan, five didnt live at the place of registration, and 69 people lived illegally in the country. Administrative decisions were made in respect to 68 detained foreigners, and the appropriate measures are being taken in respect to others in order to expel them from Azerbaijan. The State Migration Service continues measures in the fight against illegal migration. By Trend The Azerbaijani state oil company SOCAR hopes to complete the process of selecting a contractor for the preparation of a feasibility study of the project of providing Bulgarias certain regions with gas by the end of the year, head of SOCAR Balkans company Murad Heydarov told Trend. "SOCAR was charged with exploration of the possibilities of participating in the project of providing Bulgarias certain regions with gas," Heydarov added. "A working group was created to fulfill that. The working group held several meetings at the working level, in particular, with the Bulgarian Ministry of Energy, Bulgarian Bulgartransgaz EAD." "We received initial information and analyzed it," he said. "On this basis, a decision was made to carry out a detailed feasibility study. Today we are selecting a contractor, a consultant who, in fact, will carry out a feasibility study. According to the feasibility study, a decision will be made on our participation in the project. We hope that by the end of the year the contractor will begin work." Back in 2015, the Bulgarian government submitted a package of projects on energy cooperation to Azerbaijan. In particular, the Azerbaijani side was offered to participate in the construction of filling stations, invest in the construction of oil and gas storages, oil refineries. Bulgaria expects to receive Azerbaijani gas through IGB, a gas pipeline that will be connected to the Trans Adriatic Pipeline (TAP). The initial capacity of IGB will be three billion cubic meters of gas. TAP worth 4.5 billion euros is a part of the Southern Gas Corridor. The pipeline will connect to the Trans Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) on the Turkish-Greek border, run through Greece, Albania and the Adriatic Sea, before coming ashore in Italys south. The Southern Gas Corridor is one of the priority projects for the EU and envisages the transportation of 10 billion cubic meters of Azerbaijani gas from the Caspian region through Georgia and Turkey to Europe. The launching ceremony of the first stage of the Southern Gas Corridor project was held in Baku on May 29. A ceremony to launch TANAP took place June 12 in the Turkish city of Eskisehir. At an initial stage, the gas to be produced in the Stage 2 of development of Azerbaijan's Shah Deniz field is considered as the main source for the Southern Gas Corridor projects. Other sources can also connect to this project at a later stage. As part of the Shah Deniz Stage 2, the gas will be exported to Turkey and European markets via the South Caucasus Pipeline, TANAP and TAP. The Californian's Robert Price answers your questions and takes your complaints about our news coverage in this weekly feedback forum. Questions may be edited for space and clarity. To offer your input by phone, call 395-7649 and leave your comments in a voicemail message or email us at soundoff@bakersfield.com. Include your name and phone number; they wont be published. ABOUT THIS SERIES The Californian has interviewed dozens of local candidates for office in recent weeks. Over the next several weeks, we will offer information, analyses and endorsements on all major political races and ballot measures in the Nov. 6 general election. You can also find complete coverage, including video interviews with candidates, at Bakersfield.com/election-2018. Community Voices: Help is on the way to help fix teacher shortage but we must partner and move now N. Oregon Coast's Astoria-Megler Bridge Closes Completely for Three Hours Published 10/05/2018 at 4:44 AM PDT By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff (Astoria, Oregon) A major bridge on the north Oregon coast will shut down on Sunday, October 14, as the Astoria-Megler Bridge plays host to the 36th Annual Great Columbia Crossing 10K Run/Walk. The entire bridge will be closed for the first time for this event, starting at 8:30 a.m. and going until 11 a.m. All traffic in both directions will be closed to enhance the safety and security for participants, volunteers and motorists. Oregon Department of Transportation (ODOT) has jurisdiction over the bridge, coordinating the shutdown with Oregon State Police, Washington Department of Transportation, City of Astoria and the event organizer, the Astoria-Warrenton Area Chamber of Commerce. ODOT officials said traffic enforcement will not allow vehicles to line up and wait to cross the bridge on either the Washingon side or Oregon side of the bridge. Motorists will be dispersed and directed away from the bridge during the event. A possible detour route during the closure is using the Lewis and Clark Bridge that connects U.S. 30 and SR 4 at Rainier and Longview. The chamber said in a press release it is urging residents to travel across the bridge before and after the event. We encourage residents of the area to plan for this and schedule trips over the bridge before or after the event, or on another day, the chamber said. The chamber is also suggesting that area lodgings allow later check-out times. ODOT also said the public needs to take note of the closure time and avoid trying to cross the bridge during that time. In order to get the bridge open by 11 a.m., participants still on the bridge at 10:50 a.m. will be picked up by shuttle bus to clear the bridge. The north Oregon coast landmark is one of the longest bridges in the world, spanning about a mile. According to ODOT, past events had one lane open with a pilot car controlling two-way traffic. But the 4.1 mile long bridge is narrow and event participants were always running and walking close to moving vehicles. Law enforcement authorities were particularly concerned about the mixing of vehicle traffic and race participants and others. ODOT will post variable message signs at both ends of the bridge at least one week before the event warning motorists of the closure. TripCheck will also be updated to reflect the closure. Lodging in Astoria/Seaside - Where to eat - Maps and 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 Three sentenced in federal cocaine case ALBANY Three people were sentenced Friday for conspiring to distribute crack and cocaine, federal prosecutors said. Shenika D. Boyd, 38, of Albany, was sentenced to four years in prison and six years of supervised release, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of New York said. Bobby R. Graham, 51, of Albany was sentenced to three years of probation, to include six months of home confinement. Jalessa Scott, 27, of Schenectady was sentenced to time served, which was nearly 17 months in jail, and three years of supervised release. As part of the federal investigation, Scott also pleaded guilty in Schenectady County Court to criminal possession of a firearm, prosecutors said. U.S. District Judge Mae A. D'Agostino sentenced all three defendants, who were among 12 indicted in August 2017 for their involvement in a drug trafficking ring operating in Schenectady and Albany. Staff report Stolen car crashes, two men arrested WATERVLIET Police used an infrared camera attached to a drone Tuesday to find one of two men suspected of stealing a car and fleeing police, city police said Friday. A Watervliet resident called police at about 5 p.m. to report their car had been stolen. Within minutes, Troy police found the car and tried to stop it but it sped away, Watervliet police said. A short time later, a Watervliet officer saw the car crash at Third Avenue and First Street in Watervliet, police said. The two men in the car ran toward Idlewild Park. One man was quickly arrested but the other led police on a manhunt. Colonie officers then used a drone and found the suspect hiding in a field. Carey Conyers, 28, of Cohoes and Tyon Baker, 17, of Watervliet are charged with felony criminal possession of stolen property and misdemeanor obstruction of governmental administration. Staff report He ordered a coffee to go and then he went, for eternity. A stealthy hit man gunned down a Luchese family associate at a Bronx fast food drive-thru window while the gangster waited in his idling car for a cup of joe, cops said Friday. Sylvester Zottola, after surviving at least two previous violent attacks, was shot five times Thursday while behind the wheel outside the McDonald's, police said. A worker at a nearby body shop recounted seeing Zottola's lifeless, blood-spattered body after the gunshots echoed down the street around 4:45 p.m. "I heard 'Bang! Bang! Bang!'" said the employee. "I went out, I saw him there (dead). He's a mobster. He got what he deserved." The 71-year-old victim was unarmed and appeared unaware of impending danger as the lone shooter approached his vehicle on Webster Ave. in Claremont. The gunman slipped through a hole in the fence opposite the restaurant and walked right up to to Zottola, whose car was "boxed in" with vehicles in front and behind him, police sources said. Zottola, pronounced dead at the scene, was shot once in the head, three times in the chest and once in the shoulder, cops said. The shooter, carrying a 9-mm. weapon and wearing a black hoodie, fled through the same fence hole and climbed into a waiting gray Acura sedan. South Jacksonville police and fire departments expenditures were approved Thursday by the South Jacksonville Village Board. Trustees approved sending a police officer to a police dog training academy on Nov. 5 in Arkansas. Police Chief Tim Mann said the police department will buy a dog on or before then. The police canine will be a huge asset to the villages police department and the villages citizens, Mann said, adding that the dog will partner with one of the police departments drug officers to assist in narcotics detection. Trustees also approved the purchase of 12 mobile radios for fire department vehicles and 21 portable radios for firefighters at a cost of about $23,000. The radios will be purchased from Global Technical Services. We are replacing outdated analog radios with the newest digital radios to provide our fire department with better communication equipment, Fire Chief David Hickox said. The radios should arrive within 10 days, he said. In other business, trustees approved the installation of a weather siren on Loves Drive. The siren should be installed this fall, Mann said. Village President Harry Jennings announced that the WJVO Thin Blue Line 5K & Kids Fun Run in memory of Scot Fitzgerald kicks off at 8 a.m. today on Sequoia Drive. At 10 a.m. today, the South Jacksonville Celebration Parade begins at South Main Street and Michigan Avenue. The procession will travel south on Main Street and end at Sequoia Drive. All other celebration activities go from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sequoia Drive. Greg Olson can be reached at 217-245-6121, ext. 1224, or on Twitter @JCNews_Greg. Saturday, October 6, 2018 The Law Society of Upper Canada Tribunal Hearing Division (David Wright, chair) denied a recusal motion that sought to deny him authority to assign a hearing panel and dismissal of charges The respondent calls himself Spirit Warrior. He is an Ontario lawyer whose licence is currently suspended on an interim interlocutory basis. He self-identifies as non-status Metis, and as a member of the Kinakwii Nation/Confederacy. The Law Society has brought a motion for an interlocutory suspension, as well as a capacity application. Under the Law Society Act, RSO 1990, c. L.8, s. 49.23 (the Act), the Tribunal Chair, or in the Chairs absence, the Vice-Chair, assigns Tribunal members to hearings. The respondent asks that I recuse myself from assigning the panel for cases to which he is a party on the basis of reasonable apprehension of bias. He raises two types of arguments. First, he alleges that various things I have allegedly said or done, or failed to do, show a reasonable apprehension of bias, either conscious or unconscious, about this case. Second, he says that because he is Indigenous, any panel of Tribunal members I assign would be biased. He argues that I am required to end the existence of the Tribunal under Ontario law and have it continue under the joint jurisdiction of Chief Buffalo Eagle. He submits that his status as an Ontario lawyer should have already been decided in a circle led by a Clan Mother. The respondent argues that I am not limited by Ontario legislation and that the principles of equity permit and require me to act in accordance with my conscience. He asks that I recuse myself from naming any more panels, reinstate his licence, establish the rule that Indigenous issues are adjudicated by three Indigenous panelists who are status, non-status or Metis as elected by the respondent, receive nominations for a Clan Mother co-chair, and strike down the federal Indian Act, RSC 1985, c. I-5. The allegations about my conduct do not establish a reasonable apprehension of bias. The respondent takes issue with decisions such as how the case has been managed and whether I agreed with or anticipated legal arguments. None of those things, assuming the correctness of everything alleged, would be interpreted by a reasonable person to suggest I would not have an open mind in assigning panels or deciding matters in this case. The respondents broader arguments suggesting a legal requirement for an Indigenous panel also do not establish a reasonable apprehension of bias. The respondent is repeating the argument that a panel that is not composed of Indigenous people is biased, previously heard and rejected in Law Society of Upper Canada v. Bogue, 2018 ONLSTH 38 (CanLII) (Bogue #1). The same relief, in essence, was also sought and rejected in the motion for the appointment of an Indigenous tribunal: Law Society of Upper Canada v. Bogue, 2018 ONLSTH 46 (CanLII) (Bogue #2). The parties are bound by those decisions and their conclusions should not be re-litigated. (Mike Frisch) https://lawprofessors.typepad.com/legal_profession/2018/10/the-law-society-of-upper-canada-the-respondent-calls-himself-spirit-warrior-he-is-an-ontario-lawyer-whose-licence-is-curren.html A judge dismissed two more charges against Charleston, W. Va., gastroenterologist Steven Matulis, MD, the Charleston Gazette-Mail reports. Here's what you should know: 1. A judge has dropped four charges against Dr. Matulis already. He is still charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual abuse. 2. He allegedly performed breast and vaginal exams on patients during gastrointestinal medical procedures without their consent. 3. The judge dismissed charges brought by a surgical technician at Dr. Matulis' practice. 4. The technician claimed to witness Dr. Matulis sexually assault a patient under anesthesia during a colonoscopy, but the technician did not see Dr. Matulis perpetrate the assault firsthand. The technician claimed movement on a screen documenting the procedure captured the assault. 5. Dr. Matulis' attorney presented a medical record that debunked the claim. According to the record, Dr. Matulis had to navigate around stool present in the patient's colon. The defense said that was why the technician saw movement. 6. The defense attempted to get other charges thrown out, but the judge found sufficient evidence for the jury to consider. Venture capitalists poured $10.6 billion into healthcare startups in the first half of this year, putting 2018 on pace to be a record year for venture capital investing in healthcare, according to data from the MoneyTree report from PwC and CB Insights. Here are 13 healthcare venture capital deals announced in the past month: 1. Ooda Health, a San Francisco-based healthcare payments startup, completed a $40.5 million funding round, led by Oak HC/FT and DFJ Venture Capital. 2. Palo Alto, Calif.-based cancer immunotherapy company Immune-Onc raised $33 million in Series B funding from Northern Light Venture Capital, Vivo Capital and the Stanford-StartX Fund. 3. Alydia Health, a Menlo Park, Calif.-based medical device company, raised $10 million in Series B funding led by the Global Health Investment Fund. 4. Tvardi Therapeutics, a Houston-based biopharmaceutical company focused on the development of STAT3 inhibitors, raised $9 million in Series A funding from undisclosed investors. 5. Galera Therapeutics, a Malvern, Pa.-based biotechnology company focused on the development of drugs targeting oxygen metabolic pathways with the potential to transform cancer radiotherapy, secured $150 million in a joint, oversubscribed Series C financing and royalty purchase agreement. The financing was led by Clarus. 6. New York City-based biotech startup MouSensor raised $3.3 million in seed funding co-led by imec.xpand and Alexandria Venture Investments. 7. Ceribell, a Mountain View, Calif.-based developer of a rapid response EEG system, completed a $35 million Series B financing led by Optimas Capital Partners Fund and The Rise Fund with participation by UCB and LivaNova. 8. Maven, a digital health startup and benefits platform focused on improving access to healthcare for women, raised $27 million in Series B funding led by Sequoia and Oak HC/FT. 9. Lyra Therapeutics, a Watertown, Mass.-based biotechnology company developing medicines designed to target ear, nose and throat diseases, raised $29.5 million in Series B funding led by Perceptive Advisors. 10. Proscia, a Philadelphia-based digital pathology startup, completed an $8.3 million Series A financing led by Flybridge Capital. 11. Cambridge, Mass.-based drug discovery startup KSQ Therapeutics raised $76 million in Series B funding led by Flagship Pioneering. 12. Akrevia Therapeutics, a Cambridge, Mass.-based immunotherapy company, raised $30 million in Series A funding led by F-Prime Capital Partners and Atlas Venture. 13. VelosBio, a San Diego-based biotechnology company focused on developing novel antibody-drug conjugates to treat hematological cancers and solid tumors, raised $58 million in Series A funding led by Arix Bioscience. More articles on healthcare finance: 15 health systems with strong finances Nurses call for Michigan hospital CEO to step down as possibility of bankruptcy looms Dignity Health's net income more than doubles A study suggests employers and consumers are paying more for healthcare because Indianapolis hospitals overcharge health insurers. However, some hospitals are questioning the study's results and methodology, according to the IndyStar. The study, published in the International Journal of Health Economics and Management in September, examined publicly available data on four major nonprofit health systems in Indiana to calculate their margins. The study found each had margins of more than 10 percent, and Mishawaka, Ind.-based Franciscan Health had the highest at 20 percent. Michael Siebold, a Tucson, Ariz.-based healthcare consultant and the author of the study, said Franciscan Health, IU Health and St. Vincent collectively made almost $8 billion from 2013-17. This represents a 23 percent margin, while nonprofit hospitals nationwide usually operate at a margin between 2 and 3 percent. Mr. Siebold said Anthem dominates 70 percent of the market share in Indiana, which may lead some to believe it could have controlled prices better than evidenced. However, stakeholders in the state's healthcare industry raised questions about what the article, which was partially funded by an Optum subsidiary, concludes, as well as its methodology. Franciscan Health Central Indiana's CFO Keith Lauter told the IndyStar, "Our negotiations with the large companies such as United and Anthem are extremely challenging. They're very tough negotiators. We do not feel like we have an advantage in terms of leverage in negotiating power." Brian Tabor, president of the Indiana Hospital Association, told the publication, "Typically when you look at a study like this, you like to have apples to apples, and this is kind of a whole fruit salad. A lot of things are lumped together in a way that seems to drive a narrative. I have a lot of questions about the methodology here." To view the study, click here. Access the full IndyStar report here. Particularly during my sojourns in South Africa, it may not be possible for me to perform the moderation function speedily. I regret the necessity of moderation but it has been rendered inevitable by the behaviour of a particular commentator whose contributions will always and without exception be rejected. No correspondence will be entered into regarding moderation decisions. Readers are invited to comment on blog posts. All comments require to be pre-moderated by me, and I shall reject all (a) that are not related to the Lockerbie disaster or (b) that fail to meet my -- perhaps idiosyncratic -- standards of courtesy towards other contributors. Comments will not be rejected simply because I disagree with them or because I, or other contributors, find them irritating. But comments will be rejected if they distort or misrepresent the evidence; are defamatory; or if they risk embroiling me, as publisher, in defamation proceedings. I am perfectly relaxed about being sued in respect of material which I personally have posted -- but not in respect of material that others wish to post as comments and which, in any case, I often strongly disagree with. Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan became the first public university to raise $5 billion during a fundraising campaign and will use more than $1.4 billion of it to support the school's academic medical center, according to The Detroit News. The money was raised as part of the university's "Victors for Michigan" campaign, which launched in 2013 and is slated to end Dec. 31. It's initial goal was to raise $4 billion. More than 382,000 donors pledged dollars to University of Michigan to push the campaign over $5 billion. The university plans to use $1.1 billion for student support and more than $1.4 billion for the school's academic medical center. The funds for the academic medical center will support patient care, research and education. "I am thrilled with the broad base of support we've been able to secure through this campaign," Stephen Ross, campaign chair, told The Detroit News. From the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission suing a Tennessee health system over its flu shot policy to a Montana health system paying $24 million to settle a whistle-blower lawsuit, here are the latest healthcare industry lawsuits and settlements making headlines. 1. EEOC sues Saint Thomas Health over mandatory flu shot policy The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filed a lawsuit against Nashville, Tenn.-based Saint Thomas Health Sept. 28, alleging Murfreesboro, Tenn.-based Saint Thomas Rutherford Hospital violated federal law by ordering an employee to receive a flu shot despite his religious beliefs. 2. Montana hospital pays $24M to settle ex-CFO's whistle-blower suit Kalispell (Mont.) Regional Healthcare System and six subsidiaries and related entities agreed to pay the federal government $24 million to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act, Stark Law and the Anti-Kickback Statute. 3. DaVita resolves false claims, whistle-blower allegations for $270M HealthCare Partners Holdings, which does business as DaVita Medical Holdings, will pay $270 million to settle False Claims Act violations and a whistle-blower lawsuit. 4. AmerisourceBergen to pay $625M to settle civil fraud charges linked to repackaging scandal Drug wholesaler AmerisourceBergen will pay $625 million to resolve allegations that the company improperly distributed tampered and repackaged drugs. 5. Kansas physician awarded $29M in wrongful termination suit A jury awarded a Kansas emergency physician $29 million for his lawsuit claiming he was wrongfully terminated by the emergency room staffing company he worked for after voicing concerns about the organization's business practices. 6. Disability advocacy firm sues Arizona hospital over access to patients The Arizona Center for Disability Law filed a lawsuit Sept. 12 against Phoenix-based Arizona State Hospital, claiming hospital officials violated federal law by refusing to provide the center with access to the facility, patients and their records. 7. Louisiana health system stuck in antitrust suit brought by ex-hospital operator, health plan BRF, a hospital operator in Shreveport, La., and the regional Vantage Health Plan are surging forward with an antitrust lawsuit against Shreveport-based Willis-Knighton Health System, even though BRF left the hospital business Oct. 1. More articles on legal and regulatory issues: Alabama hospital pays $4.25M to settle false billing case Labs' challenge over Medicare cuts dismissed: 7 things to know New York regulators to probe $660K payment to former CEO of SUNY Upstate Medical University Numerous resources and strategies exist for physicians seeking to help patients with opioid use disorder access specialized care, according to AMA Wire. Kelly Clark, MD, president of the American Society of Addiction Medicine, said physicians should first perform a traditional assessment of the patient to identify specific treatment needs before taking any action to secure specialist care. Dr. Clark also shared three strategies for physicians looking to send patients with opioid use disorder to specialists: 1. Use search tools to find specialists. ASAM's website contains a list of specialists that is searchable by name, city state and ZIP code. They can also be filtered by board certifications, such as addiction medicine, preventive medicine, psychiatry or neurology. 2. Form relationships with specialists. Physicians should make the most of their connections and relationships through state and county medical societies to better locate specialists treating opioid use disorder, according to Dr. Clark. 3. Learn how to provide specialized treatment. Dr. Clark suggests physicians take an eight-hour course to gain certification for administering buprenorphine. Physicians could also take a 40-hour course offered by ASAM, highlighting the fundamentals of addiction medicine. "Primary care physicians and doctors of all types can enter the fight against the opioid epidemic," Dr. Clark said. More articles on opioids: California children in some counties visited emergency rooms for asthma at much higher rates than the statewide annual rate in 2016, according to a California Healthline report. In 2016, the annual statewide rate of ER visits for asthma per 10,000 children under age 18 was 75, data from the California Department of Public Health shows. That represents 69,375 ER visits for asthma that year. But some counties had much higher rates: Merced and Madera's rates were 131 and 140, respectively. Fresno County had the highest rate in 2016, at 143. All three counties are in the state's San Joaquin Valley, where, according to a California Health Interview Survey, one in four children have asthma. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency describes the San Joaquin Valley as having "some of the nation's worst air quality" due to the valley's topography, tThe area is surrounded by mountain ranges. In addition to air pollution, wildfires such as the ones earlier this year can also make asthma worse in children, according to California Healthline. The 2016 rate of childhood ER visits for asthma in Del Norte County, close to the Oregon border, was 121. According to the report, fires are a likely contributing factor. Read the full story, and see a graphic with California's rates by county, here. More articles on patient flow: Connecticut hospital closes hospice program Ascension to shut down DC hospital Dec. 14 How this Cincinnati trauma center responded to city's worst mass shooting since 2013 The CGCN Group, a Republican lobbying firm, confirmed to STAT that it has played a role in the launch of a new pro-pharma advocacy group, the Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation. Eight things to know: 1. The Alliance to Protect Medical Innovation launched Oct. 3 as "a nonpartisan 501(c)(4) organization, committed to fostering a national conversation on medical innovation and patient access to care that is holistic and fact-based." 2. The alliance's website does not include funding details. However, the group acknowledged that it relied on some "seed money from people inside the [pharma] industry," according to STAT. 3. The alliance's website also does not include a staff list. Ken Spain, partner at CGCN Group, which is also a communications firm, told STAT: "APMI is our client and is in the process of naming the executive director. We are helping them with the rollout of the organization." 4. As the alliance gets off the ground, it is defending high drug list prices and speaking out against insurers and pharmacy benefit managers. 5. Patients for Affordable Drugs told STAT the group "should disclose its funders immediately," and described the alliance's approach as "misleading, self-serving 'facts' with the same old threat: your money or your life." 6. According to the report, Patients for Affordable Drugs also claimed the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America helped finance the effort. PhRMA and APMI deny the assertion. 7. APMI said in a website post Oct. 4: "Activists and media outlets assumed we were just a front group for PhRMA. Sadly, this is exactly why we launched the alliance. The debate over drug costs has become so corrosive and one-sided that we wanted to introduce a new voice that could point out some basic facts about the groundbreaking medicines developed by biopharmaceutical companies." 8. In the same post, APMI also said it "actually [doesn't] have a lot of funders to reveal. We have been given some seed money from people inside the industry, but our aim is to add as many people, from as many walks of life, as possible. And when we do, we will start disclosing those names." More articles on pharmacy: Rite Aid shakes up board after 2 failed mergers Why patients may face longer waits for generics under North American trade proposal Reversing course: GlaxoSmithKline will resume paying physicians who promote its drugs Two Red Cross workers were seriously wounded Oct. 2 after they were attacked by community members while performing safe burials of deceased Ebola patients in the Democratic Republic of Congo's northeastern city of Butembo, according to The Guardian. Here are four things to know: 1. The incident represented the most violent attack on Red Cross workers since the outbreak began in Aug. 1, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies said in a statement cited by The Guardian. The U.N. Security Council on Oct. 3 requested an immediate end to hostilities in the country. "While we categorically denounce the attack on our colleagues, we understand the fear and frustration that many communities in North Kivu feel right now," Dr. Fatoumata Nafo-Traore, IFRC regional director for Africa, said in a statement cited by The Guardian. "People are scared and there are many rumors circulating that only serve to heighten the sense of fear and distrust." 2. Safe burials for Ebola victims help prevent disease transmission. The Red Cross has performed about 162 such burials in North Kivu since August. 3. Security issues posed by armed militia groups stationed in the Congo's outbreak area near the country's border with Uganda have been a major obstacle for health workers. "We are very concerned about the potential for the virus to spread into Uganda, but also into Rwanda, South Sudan and Burundi. We are working very closely with those governments on operational readiness for Ebola," Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO's director general, said during a U.N. Security Council meeting Oct. 3, according to The Guardian. 4. Congo's health ministry has confirmed 130 Ebola cases and 74 deaths linked to the outbreak. More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: About 3,000 health workers vaccinated more than 306,000 people against cholera in Yemen as part of a six-day vaccination campaign from the World Health Organization and United Nations Children's Fund. More than 164,000 children under age 15 were vaccinated as part of the campaign, which ended Oct. 5. Yemen has reported more than 1.2 million suspected cholera cases and 2,515 deaths attributed to the disease since April 2017. Health workers administered most of the vaccines during a four-day "Days of Tranquility" period, in which UNICEF convinces all parties to temporarily cease hostilities to grant children access to healthcare. "It is unacceptable for people to die from preventable diseases," WHO Director-General Dr. Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said in a press release. "We are grateful for the pause in fighting, which enabled us to complete the cholera vaccination campaign. Vaccination is one of many health services people need. Ultimately, peace is the only road to health." More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: More people intend to get flu shot than in 2016, survey finds Despite overall reductions in healthcare-associated MRSA rates, racial disparities exist Hospital sink traps may harbor antibiotic-resistant bacteria, study finds A pilot program run by Bremerton, Wash.-based Harrison Medical Center offers homeless patients a place to stay while still in recovery after a hospitalization, according to The Seattle Times. Here are four things to know: 1. Harrison Medical Center pays for three beds at the Benedict House, a men's shelter also located in Bremerton, to house eligible respite patients. 2. The hospital launched the programs in July through a collaboration with its parent company Tacoma, WA.-based CHI Franciscan Health, Kent, WA.-based Catholic Community Services and Wheaton Way, WA.-based Peninsula Community Health Services. 3. Hospital officials said they hope the program will help homeless patients receive appropriate treatment and follow-up care after a discharge, while also opening up more beds and reducing readmissions rates at the hospital. 4. At present, the beds are only open to male patients, although program supporters said they hope to add more beds across the county. "Although it doesnt solve the affordable-housing crisis in our area, it does put one more piece into the complex puzzle of healthcare for the vulnerable in our society," Jennifer Kreidler-Moss, CEO of Peninsula Community Health, told The Seattle Times. More articles on clinical leadership and infection control: Dayton (Ohio) Children's Hospital will host a job fair to fill hundreds of positions, according to a WKEF/WRGT report. Positions are available in nursing, clinical support and other areas. The job fair is scheduled for 4 to 7 p.m. Oct. 10 at UD Marriott in Dayton. Candidates are encouraged to apply online for an open position before attending the job fair. With more than 2,000 employees, Dayton Children's serves 300,000 patients annually. More articles on workforce: Maine health system looks to the Philippines to recruit nurses: 5 things to know Adventist Health Portland seeks to fill dozens of nursing positions Mayo Clinic, Johns Hopkins, 18 other hospitals hiring nurses New Look's flagship Belfast store will close its doors in four weeks' time with "minimal redundancy packages" and redeployment offered to its 60 employees, some workers have claimed. It comes after Primark confirmed that it was involved in commercial discussions in relation to Fountain House where fashion retailer New Look has been a tenant for 11 years. And Land Registry documents seen by the Belfast Telegraph show Primark, whose main Belfast store was destroyed by a fire in August, entered into a contract to purchase the building on Donegall Place on September 20. However staff at New Look say they are angry their future job security remains unclear, even after a meeting with the companys senior management. In a letter to a Belfast politician, members of staff at the New Look store said the company only commented on speculation of a closure one week after news reports. And they said there were no guarantees by New Look of redeployment, adding that information being shared with them was conflicting, and that redundancy packages were minimal. They added there was talk from management that New Look are looking for a new building but staff dont feel that a new building is possibly going to happen this side of Christmas. New Look, which has 26 Northern Ireland stores six of which are in Belfast has refused to comment on its plans. People Before Profit MLA Gerry Carroll said the developments were concerning. Mr Carroll (right) said: There are staff with families who have been there 10 or 11 years. New Look needs to come out and let staff know if they are losing their jobs or not. He added: People are really frightened of potential repercussions if they talk, and no-one should be in an environment where their job or conditions are threatened. The letter said staff morale was at an all-time low, adding: This is a horrendous time for everyone, so much so that certain staff members family life and mental health has been affected so badly that they have had to seek medical/doctors advice and support. The store is expected to close to the public on November 3 and staff say they will remain working at the unit for four days to clear out the building by November 7. They described it as the final nail in the coffin in relations with management. Redeployment opportunities for the Belfast staff could potentially include roles at New Looks CastleCourt, Yorkgate, Boucher Road, Forestside, Park Centre and Connswater stores in Belfast. Mr Carroll advised staff to join a union, adding: People are strong when they stand together. Fountain Houses current owners are British Overseas Bank Nominees Limited and WCTC Nominees Limited, who are understood to have bought the building for 13m in 2013. New Look announced a company voluntary arrangement (CVA) in March which included the closure of 60 out of its 593 outlets. However, none of its Northern Ireland stores were among that figure. Its directors are thought to have entered into legally binding agreements with creditors and landlords, including the current Fountain House owners, to avoid going into administration or liquidation. The retailer explained that its CVA was approved by the overwhelming majority of its landlords. 'Wrightbus said that Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) has ordered 150 units and its sister company LongWin Bus is taking a further 10' Ballymena bus manufacturer Wrightbus has announced it has secured orders for more than 200 buses from Hong Kong in deals thought to be worth tens of millions of pounds. The orders are good news for Wrightbus and its workforce and come days after the group company revealed a collapse in pre-tax profits in 2017 from 10.7m to 1.5m. And the deals have been hailed as an example of the ability of exporters in Northern Ireland to secure orders in far-flung markets as Brexit draws closer. However, North Antrim DUP MP Ian Paisley said the firm also needed more orders from home markets, including from Translink. Vehicles for both orders will be manufactured at the new Wrightbus site in Gracehill, Ballymena, which was bought by the firm after it was vacated by tobacco giant JTI Gallaher. The company employs around 1,700 people. The buses for KMB will be among the first to be produced and delivered from the repurposed site. Wrightbus said that Kowloon Motor Bus (KMB) has ordered 150 units and its sister company LongWin Bus is taking a further 10. All are double-decker vehicles with Wrightbus bodywork and Volvo chassis. The company confirmed that it also received an order for seven buses for New World First Bus (NWFB) and 46 for its sister company City Bus Ltd. No value has been put on the orders by the company but it's believed they are worth tens of millions of pounds. The deals bring the total number of bus bodywork orders won by the company in Hong Kong in the last two years to 484 units. Stephen Kelly, chief executive of industry body Manufacturing NI, said: "This is great news for Wrightbus, workers and the supply chain. "The company's success in winning healthy orders has a far reaching impacts in communities across north Antrim and Northern Ireland. "We know we can compete and win in markets at home and abroad when the conditions are right which make the next couple of weeks critical as the Brexit withdrawal agreement negotiations come to a head. "Hopefully some sense will prevail and we get a deal which is great for Northern Ireland firms and families." Mr Paisley said he was "delighted and encouraged" for Wrightbus and its workforce. "The Far East has been a great market for this local company and the order will help sustain the company at a time when we have seen a downturn in national and international bus orders," he said. "Once again I reiterate my call to Translink and to the Secretary of State to find some mechanism that will allow Translink to commence an order book with Wright bus going forward. "Overseas orders are fantastic news and are a cherry on top in many cases but local and national bus orders are where the big prize rests." John McLeister, group business and product development director at Wrightbus, said: "We are honoured to receive these two new orders from our long-standing customers in Hong Kong. "Working closely with our partners Volvo, we have supplied almost 1,500 double-deckers for operation in Hong Kong since we shipped the first bus in 2001. "The Hong Kong double-deckers will be manufactured at our facility in Ballymena and will provide a real boost for our workforce and the local economy." Wrightbus International was established as a separate division of the Wrights Group to generate growth in key overseas markets. Difficult memories: Gina Murray and son Gary with a picture of daughter Leanne, who was 13 when she was killed in the Shankill atrocity Relatives who lost loved ones during the Troubles have called for a "complete overhaul" of the compensation system following massive payouts to some of the families of those killed on Bloody Sunday. The Ministry of Defence this week paid compensation to relatives of Gerard McKinney and Michael McDaid, who were killed in January 1972 by the Army. Read More The family of Mr McKinney, a 35-year-old married father-of-eight, was awarded 625,000. Mr McDaid's family received 75,000, a lower amount, due to the fact the 20-year-old single man had no dependants when he was killed. Although welcoming the payouts to the grieving families of those killed in Londonderry, families who lost loved ones in some of the most brutal and notorious murders have called for the compensation system to be changed to allow all families to receive a set amount. Kevin Skelton lost his wife, Mena, in the 1998 Omagh bombing. He says she "was treated differently because she was a housewife". "No disrespect to the lady who received the compensation, but where is the level playing field?" he asked. "When my wife was murdered, she had four children and she didn't even get a sixth of what was paid out. "She was a housewife. It was a case of, 'Take this or you don't'. It was plain and simple. My son, who was 18 years old, actually got nothing for his mother dying. "I'm not saying money will replace her, but there just doesn't appear to be a level playing field for victims. It's very hurtful. "They talk about dealing with the past. How can you deal with the past when you have a figure like that? "I'm not saying those people don't deserve it, because they do. But what about a woman who lost her son 40 years ago who got 650? It's an absolute disgrace. "After Mena died, I was posted 7,500 by the Northern Ireland Office to cover her funeral. "Some people posted it back, some didn't because they couldn't afford it. Then I got 100,000 compensation and I was told to take it or leave it. "Because she was a housewife, she had no monetary value, as opposed to someone who worked 80 hours a week. She looked after our children, she was their mother. "If she had been a solicitor, or a teacher, they would have given money out from she was 39 years old until she was 65 years old, for what she would have earned. But because she was a housewife, she was treated like garbage. "At the end of the day, it is not about money - it is about fairness for all. I'm not begrudging the family of the man murdered on Bloody Sunday at all, but we are being left behind. "I just feel that that is what human life has come to in this country. If someone is murdered by the security forces, they seem to be worth more than someone murdered by terrorists. "A murderer to me is a murderer. I don't care where he comes from." Alan McBride lost his wife, Sharon, in the 1993 Shankill bomb. He says everyone should be treated in exactly the same way when it comes to compensation. "Looking at it at face value, I wondered how some people get so much money and others get very little," he adds. "It is not unusual. I got some compensation because my wife was working, but I know that there were others that day whose loved ones were not working who basically got nothing. "It seems to me the way that compensation is awarded is unfair. I was given some compensation. My wife was in junior management in the health service and there is no doubt that she would have risen through the ranks to senior management and on a huge salary. But life took a very different course and we have to live with the consequences of that. "The way that compensation is awarded - given that it is attached to earnings and loss of earnings - is completely mercenary in some respects, because you have just no way of knowing what people would have earned. "I would have thought that a much better solution would be to have a standard payment, paid out no matter what the circumstances are. "I think it would be fairer and it would say that nobody's life is judged better than the other. "But, unfortunately, the way that it works is you don't get compensated for the loss of life, rather the loss of income. I think it is very unfair. "I am not begrudging this family the money they got. My goodness, I know what it is like to lose someone. "They deserve every penny they got, but others deserve it, too." Gary Murray's sister, Leanne, was also killed in the Shankill bombing. His mother Gina received enough to bury her daughter and pay for passage to England for her and Gary, her only surviving child. "My mum got around 5,000 when Leanne died," he says. "They didn't know what Leanne would have grown up to be. I think that my mum getting 5,000 after Leanne died and someone else getting 625,000 after they lost their loved one is wrong - it should be the same for all victims. "I don't begrudge the family the money - they deserve it. But I am angry about that. It is like putting a price on life. And you can't do that. It's disrespectful. "My mum wasn't able to do very much with the money she was given, except bury her daughter and get us over to England. My mum had just me and Leanne. My father died a few months before Leanne was taken. "My baby brother was stillborn and my other brother was killed in a road accident when he was just six years old. We moved away straight after the bomb to get away from it all. It was just myself and my mum left. I was just 15 years old. He adds: Compensation should be the exact same for everyone. Everyone should get a decent amount of money especially families who lost a loved one. If some families are getting that kind of money, my mum should have got that too. My sister was really smart. She was the top of her class and brilliant at everything. She could have been a doctor, or a solicitor, or anything she wanted to be. She was that type of girl; she concentrated and was always getting stuck into her school work. She was a bubbly, intelligent girl. There should be a set amount of compensation given to everyone, no matter what religion, or who they are. The NIO should review their compensation policy. They should treat people fairly and level the playing field. My sister was a young girl she had her whole life in front of her. Who knows what she would have grown up to be? I think my mum should have got what the Bloody Sunday family got. A life is a life, no matter what age. Denise Fox, whose father, Denis Mullen, was gunned down by the notorious Glenanne Gang at his Co Tyrone home in September 1975, says her mother received just 12,000 compensation and that life was hard for the family. I think that the family of the Bloody Sunday victim should have got more money, considering who the perpetrators of the murder were, she says. And to only be getting it now ... its disgraceful. Id be sad to think of anyone objecting to a Bloody Sunday family getting compensation. At the end of the day, its over 40 years too late. The money that my mother got some 12,000 was totally inadequate. I remember reading about a woman, whose UDR husband was murdered around the same time as my daddy, was awarded something like 70,000. My mother had to bring up two children and had to give up work. She was bad with her nerves and had post-traumatic stress disorder after being shot at herself. The whole thing took a toll on her. That money that she got was ludicrous. Life was very difficult for us growing up. We had no money. We lived for my mothers widows pension coming in every week and we didnt have a fridge until I was 11 years old. The Northern Ireland Office was contacted for comment, but had not responded at time of going to print. The DUP could end up being the party that stops Brexit, a campaigner has claimed. Anti-Brexit crusader Gina Miller made the statement as she addressed business delegates in Newry yesterday. Ms Miller, who also criticised former First Minister Arlene Foster's "lack of sensibility", said she believes the entrenched position of the DUP could backfire in spectacular fashion. "The DUP has its agenda, but the irony is that the very thing they are fighting for could have the outcome they dread the most, and I think the thing they are dreading is going to be the thing that happens," she said after concluding her End The Chaos event yesterday. She cited Mrs Foster's "offensive" blood red line' description earlier this week as an example of her party alienating voters and leaving Prime Minister Theresa May with no wriggle room in negotiations. "To lack basic sensibilities and use the word blood was so disrespectful to all the people who died in the conflict. She should absolutely not have done that," Ms Miller added. "That's the kind of digging your heels in that is going to backfire." The businesswoman, who won a High Court case to ensure that Parliament has the final say on any Brexit deal, also dismissed as fantasy the European Research Group proposals to use "imaginary technology" to avoid a hard border. "I have been told by the biggest global technology providers that the proposals are impossible," she said. As a result she does not believe agreement can be reached in time for a crunch Summit in Brussels on October 17, when EU leaders will meet to discuss a possible Brexit deal with the UK. "I believe we are heading towards a General Election which will give the people a chance to have the last say," she added. Ms Miller also took aim at business leaders who refuse to speak up about the danger and who say one thing in private and a different thing in public. "I invited 25 to this event and they all said no - the Consumer Council pulled out at the last minute with no explanation, which is a dereliction of duty," she said. The statutory body said it had wanted to attend but had existing diary commitments. However, Ms Miller did express some sympathy with those intimidated by "a climate of fear" which sees her receive daily death threats. During the multi-panel event in the Sean Hollywood Arts Centre, she read out a "moving and historic" message from US Senator George Mitchell, who played a crucial role in brokering the 1998 Agreement. In it he called for politicians involved in Brexit negotiations to reflect on the work of their predecessors, who displayed "extraordinary courage" in securing a deal to end decades of bloodshed in "dangerous and difficult" circumstances. Mr Mitchell also recalled a commitment to avoiding a hard border made by the UK Government and the EU in December 2017 - a promise he said "we should all insist is kept'. Panel member and policy manager at the Freight Transport Association, Seamus Leheny, was among the business leaders and academics who warned of chaotic consequences of a reckless Brexit. He said the A1 road, which leads to the border, could be transformed into a massive car park "to rival Dover" and that only 60 transport lorries from here could be allowed to operate within the European Union at any one time. Ms Miller told the small audience that a failure to stop "a buccaneering bunch of scheming, quarrelsome Westminster politicians with an extreme agenda" hanging Northern Ireland out to dry could see a "new Calais" emerge on the border. Hopes of a Brexit deal within weeks have been renewed with EU Commission President Jean Claude Juncker signalling a new note of confidence in negotiations. Officials in Brussels expect a fresh proposal from the UK on the Irish border after an earlier London paper was rejected by EU leaders. Speaking in Vienna, Mr Juncker said his main focus was on securing a deal which was possible within the outer deadline of a special EU leaders' summit on November 17 and 18. "Negotiations are not easy because we also have to be critical that we receive different signals from London," Mr Juncker told the Austrian parliament. Yesterday the Republic's Foreign Minister hit out at leading Brexiteers for pushing "crazy" ideas about what a no deal withdrawal from the EU would mean. The rebuke from Simon Coveney came as Dublin urged Prime Minister Theresa May to bring forward her proposals to break the deadlock in the Brexit talks over the Irish border. When it was put to him that Brexiteers believe the Republic would not erect a border in a no deal scenario, Mr Coveney told Channel Four News: "That is a crazy argument." In another swipe at Brexiteers like Boris Johnson and Jacob Rees-Mogg, Mr Coveney said: "You can't say we're leaving the single market, customs union, and have our own free trade agreements and we have to have seamless access to your market too. "I always say when I'm confronted with comments that Boris Johnson has said, or Jacob Rees-Mogg has said, or indeed (former Northern Ireland Secretary) Owen Paterson have said - you know, fine people who I know and I've worked with in other areas - I believe that they are not describing the full picture or its complexity in Ireland and the challenges we face here." Dublin's Europe Minister Helen McEntee said she was confident a deal could be done but that the negotiations were reaching a "critical point". Robin Ballantine who's dog Cole had part of his ear cut off outside Tesco in Bangor. Pic by Peter Morrison The owner of a dog which had part of his ear cut off during a shopping trip has said he can't understand who would carry out such a cruel act, or why. Bangor man Robin Ballantine returned home from a trip to his local supermarket only to discover his pet, Cole, had part of his ear sliced off. Read More He had left the five-year-old tied outside the Springhill branch of Tesco on Friday, September 21. On returning he said he did not notice anything strange with the dog but on getting home he spotted a trail of blood around the home leading him to discover part of his ear was missing. "It's disgraceful. I just can't understand it," the 55-year-old told the Belfast Telegraph. Robin took the dog to his vet. He was told the injury could only have been done by a blade or scissors as it was such a straight cut. He said the dog had been whimpering around the house and has been very reluctant to let people stroke him, particularly males. "But they are a resilient dog and it's not long before they are running around like nothing happen," he said. "He will be ok. Every now and again he shakes his head and lets out a little cry. And you have to be careful around his ears. I notice he backs away from people when he never did before. "Cole is such a lovable dog and has always been very friendly, I just can't understand this." In the days after the incident Robin returned to the shop and noticed what may have been blood in and around the area where the dog was. He said CCTV may show something happen. He also reported the matter to the police. Since the shop's community group posted about the incident on Facebook there has been an outpouring of revulsion at the incident. Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close The vet said the injury had to have been done on purpose. Tesco staff held a collection for the dog. Pic Tesco Springhill Community group The dog was tied up outside a Northern Ireland Tesco store. Pic Tesco Springhill Community group / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The vet said the injury had to have been done on purpose. "People are also not too happy with me," continued Robin, "saying I should not have taken the dogs with me, or not have left him outside for so long. "But I had been leaving him there for years and to me he was in a safe, dry place with plenty of people passing by. I'd never any problem before. "There have also been some nice comment and people passing on their support." Staff at the Tesco store also held a collection and presented Robin with a box of dog treats and some cash to help with the vet bills. "That bowled me over," he said "All I could say was thank you, it was such a lovely gesture, I was overwhelmed. "But I would just like to know why anyone would do this in the first place, I just can't fathom why." A police spokesman said: "On Sunday, 26 September police received a report of a dog having sustained an injury to its ear when its owner had left it tied with its lead in the underground parking area of a local shopping centre in Bangor on Friday, 21 September." Ian Paisley has said he was "being helpful" and denied he was acting as a broker in an email exchange in which he told a Sri Lankan official that he had "two significant arrangements with national oil suppliers in either Oman or Nigeria". Mr Paisley has been banned from the House of Commons for 30 sitting days for failing to declare two 2013 family holidays paid for by the Sri Lankan government. In July a parliamentary watchdog found that a year after the luxury holidays Mr Paisley lobbied then Prime Minister David Cameron not to support a UN probe into alleged Sri Lankan human rights abuses. Read More Last month Mr Paisley survived a bid to oust him from his North Antrim seat after a recall petition fell short of the 10% of constituents needed to force a by-election. In an interview with BBC Talkback yesterday, he addressed the failure of the petition, saying that while haters will always hate, he puts his continued public service down to his work delivering for everyone he meets. Mr Paisley also said he "disagrees with about 10% of the findings" of the parliamentary inquiry into his conduct, but accepted the ruling. He said: "I did not deliberately hide the holiday, I was wrong in not declaring it, I failed to do that, hands up, I apologise. "Their read across a year later that this letter (to Mr Cameron) somehow was to do with that holiday and was some sort of paid advocacy as a result of that. I've said: 'That's not what it was about but that is your finding'. "I have apologised for it. When you are accused of something and you feel that it is harsh and it is wrong but you accept it I think that it is actually the honourable thing to turn around and say: 'Well look, that's your finding, I really don't agree with it but I'm accepting your ruling'." Mr Paisley called the failure of the recall petition "a miracle" as he thought achieving the number of signatures required to force a by-election was "relatively easy." He added: "I was certainly prepared for an election, I had arranged my advertising campaign, I had arranged my slogan, I had prepared my election literature. "I also had other material in place. My wife was cracking up, I had two massive 'A board' vans acquired for the campaign and parked in my driveway. The fact of the matter is that 90.6% of the people, for their own reasons, decided not to sign the petition. It was a positive resolution." Asked if his father's name could carry him through another election, he said that he "can't win on any of that". And he said that his reputation would be "damaged amongst the haters who will always hate". "Am I delighted with the outcome of it? No," he continued. "I just wish that the Commissioner had been more sympathetic to the mitigation that I would put forward. She wasn't, I have to take that on the chin." He said he knew he had to be "ultra careful" going forward and that public service was "not about self-glorification". "You have to move away from things which are evil but also which appear and could be interpreted as wrong and I think that there are things there which can be clearly interpreted as ways which were not right for me and I should have been more careful and I think I have tried to consider that and recognise that's really the space that I should occupy," he said. Mr Paisley was quizzed on an email exchange in which he asked a Sri Lankan official about the "quantity and quality of specifications of oil requirements" for a potential oil purchase and said he could "certainly make this happen very quickly". He added that he had an upcoming meeting in Africa in which he could "progress this immediately". Mr Paisley wrote: "Let me know your requirements, as you know this is the most lucrative project you could be involved in and government to government will attract the most discount." Yesterday Mr Paisley said he had "a number of contacts in that line of business" and would have made the offer "to anyone if they came to me seeking help". He adde: "I said: 'There's two contacts, that was to your benefit, it's a lucrative project for you, I can put you in touch with those people.'" Mr Paisley said that his contacts in Oman were in the national petroleum company, and those in Nigeria were in "a similar petroleum industry". He stated that the issue had arisen in a discussion over dinner, and he had offered to check his contacts. "I came back to them by email and said: 'There's people I do know, I can put you in touch with them,'" he added. "'Give me the details of it, I will pass it onto the right people'. That's exactly what I offered to do, and the offer was there. Did they take it up? No, they didn't, but the offer was there." Mr Paisley said that, when questioned by the Commissioner for Standards as to why he had made the offer, he had replied that he "was being helpful". "I was making available to them my contacts, simple as that," he said yesterday. Mr Paisley said he didn't think he was "overstating" his influence but was "giving them access to my contacts". "One individual who I knew in particular in one of the petroleum companies I had got to know reasonably well and I was happy to pass that on," he explained. He added: "I'm not a broker. "That is not what a broker would do anyway, a broker deals with costs." Comedian Patrick Kielty has urged Prime Minister Theresa May to listen to the people of Northern Ireland and not allow the creation of a new hard border. Kielty gave the stark warning via a statement issued to Remain campaigner Gina Miller. It came after he ripped apart former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson's vision of how Northern Ireland would look after Brexit. In his message of support, Kielty, who is originally from Dundrum, Co Down, delivered another stinging verdict on pronouncements about Northern Ireland made by high-profile Conservative Party members in recent days. He wrote: "Last week I politely told Boris Johnson how Brexit will change Northern Ireland - okay, maybe not that politely. "I'm still waiting for a reply yet he continues to tell people who don't know what he also doesn't know. He wants them to believe that Brexit will have no effect on lives in Northern Ireland. "What he actually means is that Northern Ireland will have no effect on his life whatever happens." Kielty took a pop at other senior Tories, who he said hadn't grasped the impact of Brexit on Northern Ireland. "David Davis says we've nothing to worry about because you can buy a pint in Belfast with Euros," he added. "Yes, you can David. Just not at a same-sex wedding reception." In a direct plea to Mrs May, he added: "So, Prime Minister, if you really care about Northern Ireland, please listen to what's being said here today and what people here voted for - not once but twice." A man has been left with possibly life changing injuries after he was shot in both legs in a paramilitary style attack in Londonderry. Police described the attack as "brutal". Detective Inspector Conor McStravick said: "We received a report around 8.30pm that a number of men wearing masks, gloves and dark clothing had knocked on the door of a property in the Brandywell road area. "When a man in his 50s answered, he was pushed to the floor and shot twice in one leg and once in the other. "Police attended the scene and the ambulance service took the man to hospital for treatment to injuries which may be life-changing. This was a brutal attack, which is being treated as a paramilitary style assault at this time. Our enquiries are an early stage and I would appeal to anyone who was in the Brandywell road area between 8pm and 8.30pm last night and saw a number of men in the area acting suspiciously to get in touch. We need support from the public in providing us with the information we require to bring the perpetrators to justice and I would appeal to anyone who has information that could assist us to contact detectives at Strand Road on the non-emergency number 101, quoting reference number 1286 of 5/10/18. "Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime." Defendant Kyle Keegan has been remanded to stand trial in the Crown Court, accused of causing unnecessary suffering to Sparky the pup, whose body was found in a bin after a house party in Lurgan A man accused of beating a puppy to death with a hammer will stand before a jury, accused of animal cruelty, a judge ordered. Kyle Keegan appeared at Craigavon Magistrates Court yesterday in relation to the alleged incident in February. The 23-year-old confirmed he was aware of the single count against him and that he had no objections to the holding of a preliminary enquiry (PE) - the legal process necessary to move a case to the Crown Court. In cases of animal cruelty, the maximum sentence in the Magistrates Court is 12 months; in the Crown Court it is five years. Keegan, from Gilpins Manor in Lurgan, is in custody charged with causing unnecessary suffering to the pup, called Sparky, on February 3 this year. Previous court hearings have heard how the dog's bloodied remains were found in a bin in the Ailsbury Park area of Lurgan after a house party. An initial post mortem revealed Sparky had sustained a number of fractures as well as severe brain trauma. There have also been allegations that the 11-week-old pup was microwaved, and detectives investigating the case have sent samples to Scotland for testing. Police also conducted enquiries with social media outlets after claims the alleged incident was broadcast online. Judge Bernie Kelly previously commented that in her almost 40-year legal career: "I have never in my life come across something as cruel as what's alleged" against Keegan. In court yesterday, the prosecution lawyer submitted that based on the papers and statements before the court, there was a case against Keegan for him to answer. Defence barrister Barry McKenna said he had no contrary submissions but revealed that despite the allegation that Sparky had been put in a microwave, there was "no evidence" of that in the PE papers. Judge Kelly told the barrister, however, there was nothing to stop the prosecution introducing further evidence but that was for another day so he "shouldn't get too excited yet". She added that she had been shown the photographs of the dog before the case had even started as they had made their way onto Facebook. Keegan, whose parents sat in the public gallery, was told he had the right to comment on the charge or call evidence on his own behalf but he declined the opportunity. Remanding Keegan back into custody, Judge Kelly returned the case to Craigavon Crown Court for trial. The Judge ordered the defendant to appear in the higher court for his arraignment on November 8. Fewer people believe community relations in Northern Ireland are improving - but what do our young people really think? A report this week painted a worrying picture of the future, with less than half our young people feeling relations have got better in the past five years. Read More The Northern Ireland Good Relations Indicator showed that the proportion of young people who believe relationships have improved fell from 52% to 46%. But what is to blame for the decline? And on the streets do young people feel the situation is getting worse? Yesterday we took to Belfast city centre to find out. The answer to the first question is all too clear. The main responsibility lies with our politicians. The answer to the second seems to be no but that our politicians are threatening to undermine 20 years of reconciliation by petty feuds and the embarrassing inability to form a government. Reid Donaldson, a 20-year-old optical assistant from Donacloney, Co Down, said: Community relations are not getting worse in my experience but what I do see now is a lot of talk about culture. It stirs people up in a way this country doesnt need. His friend Hanna Maguire (19), also from Donacloney, said she has noticed a difference between school life and her new student life at Queens University. Were both from an integrated education background and perhaps that has helped our outlook. Now Im at Queens Ive noticed young people are more engaged in politics and there are going to be different views. Topics like Brexit havent helped, by putting border issues into the limelight. Expand Close Fewer than half of people in Northern Ireland believe community relations are improving, according to a new survey. / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Fewer than half of people in Northern Ireland believe community relations are improving, according to a new survey. Daryl Young (28), from Newtownabbey, Co Antrim, and currently unemployed, said there are more important things to be focusing on. Theres been a negativity about Northern Ireland these past couple of years and thats down to our politicians not working for the people, he said. Michael Smyth (30), from Loughinisland, Co Down, has watched community relations develop through his links with Belfast-based martial arts club SGB and doesnt want to see the years of progress undermined. The clubs young people there are just that young people, not Protestant or Catholic, he said. I have friends from a different religion, a different culture, who vote for a different political party, but to me, and to the people I know, were friends. Lewis Teer (19) and Emily McCormick (17) feel there may be a difference depending on where young people were brought up. Im from Portstewart, said Emily. It was a quiet town and I wouldnt have seen any community tension at all. Lewis, from Cliftonville, north Belfast, said relations are still not how they should be, adding: Yes, there are still areas where community relations are bad around the city, but theyre definitely getting better. Ballymena friends Daniel Buick and Jane Kyle are both 18. Daniel said: Where we both lived, we would have been classed as being in a minority, but Id like to think that hasnt influenced my friendships. Jane added: Perhaps the fact nothing changing at the top of our country is why theres a negative reaction further down. Division keeps politicians in a job. A pipe bomb was the cause of a security alert in Belfast on Saturday afternoon. Police were called to the scene in north Belfast outside a property in Stanhope Street just before 1pm. Cordons were put in place and residents forced to leave their homes as the Army bomb squad attended. The bomb has been taken away for further investigation and residents allowed back to their homes. Detective Sergeant McPhillips said: Police would like to thank the local community for their patience while we worked to keep them safe. I would appeal to anyone who noticed any suspicious activity in the area or anyone with any information that could help our investigation to contact detectives at Musgrave on 101, quoting reference number 619 of 6/10/18. Alternatively, information can also be provided to the independent charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 which is 100% anonymous and gives people the power to speak up and stop crime. Dr Bob Ballard, at Titanic Belfast, during the launch of the campaign to fund buying the artefacts A collection of 5,500 artefacts salvaged from the wreck of the Titanic will not now be coming home to Belfast, it emerged last night. It comes after the National Maritime Museum Greenwich and National Museums Northern Ireland decided not to bid for the items. The UK institutions, along with Titanic Belfast and Titanic Foundation Limited, had been trying to raise 14m to buy the relics from the present owners. The rare collection became available after the company that currently owns the items - Premier Exhibitions - filed for bankruptcy in the US. However, a rival bid of 16.5m was made by a US hedge fund, and the UK institutions withdrew. The campaign to raise funds to bring the relics to Belfast was launched in July, and had been supported by Titanic film director James Cameron and Dr Bob Ballard, who discovered the wreck of the doomed ocean liner in 1985. Soon after the wreck was found, the privately-owned company RMS Titanic Inc gained exclusive rights to salvage it and recovered a massive range of items from statues to shoes of the victims. The thousands of relics were recovered from the seabed over the course of seven expeditions between 1987 and 2004. In a statement, the National Maritime Museum Greenwich and National Museums Northern Ireland told the BBC: "The requirements for submitting a bid set forth in the debtors' bid procedures appear to have been drafted to prevent museums like ours from participating. "The institutional limitations of our bid were made clear to the debtors well in advance of, and again after, the filing of the bid procedures with the bankruptcy court." "We have raised significant funds to acquire the artefact collection and remain committed and willing to acquire the collection if given the opportunity." The famous ship - built in Belfast, sank after hitting an iceberg on its maiden voyage in 1912 - resulting in the deaths of more than 1,500 people. The head of a UK energy watchdog regulating the botched Renewable Heat Incentive (RHI) scheme has expressed "regret" that his organisation didn't share information about its potential abuses with Stormont officials. Day 100 of the RHI Inquiry focused on energy regulator Ofgem (the Office of Gas and Electricity Markets), which failed to effectively advise the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment (Deti) about a loophole known as "gaming". This meant scheme users could install multiple small boilers and claim a higher level of subsidy, instead of installing a larger, more efficient system. Some 75% of installations under the scheme had multiple boilers. Ofgem has faced criticism for allowing abuse of taxpayers' money while administering the scheme. Facing questioning, Ofgem chief executive Dermot Nolan said it didn't believe it had a role to prevent gaming, but instead focused on technical compliance of thje boilers. Gaming was one of the biggest issues that led to the projected 490m overspend of the scheme. Inquiry counsel Joseph Aiken said this lack of communication between Deti and Ofgem amounted to a "major systems failure" and led to public money "literally going up in smoke". Deti set up the ill-fated green energy initiative in 2012, with Ofgem tasked with running it. Ofgem's contractors were required to visit businesses and farms to check that boiler installations were compliant and to detect any fraud. However, only 31 installations were checked in the first three years of the scheme, despite 2,120 applications. Mr Nolan described the finding as "sobering" and admitted that Ofgem had been "far from perfect" when sharing key information with Deti. He added: "I have accepted that there were significant failings. "It seems that somehow people didn't think that it was their function to deal with gaming with the scheme. It may not sound terribly impressive but it's broadly the truth." Mr Nolan added that he believed both agencies, Deti and Ofgem, were "culpable". He also acknowledged that Ofgem's relationship with Deti was "not as effective" as it was with the department running the RHI scheme in Britain. Difficulties around the sharing of data between Ofgem and Deti have also been probed by the inquiry, which has heard about a lack of auditing. Inquiry chairman Sir Patrick Coghlin said the purpose of this was to ensure that a representative number of installations were looked at in Northern Ireland, but no one took those steps. He said Ofgem would have had the ability to smell the "odour of gaming", but this wasn't referred to Deti. Mr Nolan has acknowledged that not enough audits were carried out for RHI. When asked why the audit reports were not forwarded to Deti, he replied that had these been asked for, they would have been provided. The inquiry also heard that Ofgem did not make Deti explicitly aware of the "phenomena" of the use of multiple boilers with heating systems serving the same loads until late 2014 or early 2015. At this point the scheme was facing huge budgetary pressures. Mr Nolan accepted that Ofgem "probably should have" made this information available. Unlike in Britain, no cap or payment tier system was placed on the money that could be claimed in proportion to the size of boiler here. In effect, this enabled unnecessary heat to be burned just to make money. Mr Nolan said it was his understanding that Deti had insisted to Ofgem that they were "absolutely not going to do tiering". Sir Patrick described the revelation as "news" to the panel. We listen to local police and fire departments scanner traffic, but sometimes miss crimes, wrecks, fires or other incidents, especially if they happen overnight. If you know of something were not covering yet, please let Managing Editor Jeff Pownall know by emailing him at jpownall@lufkindailynews.com, or submit a news tip online by visiting lufkindailynews.com/tips. The head of the European Commission has said the chances of a Brexit deal have increased in recent days. Interviewed by three Austrian newspapers, Jean-Claude Juncker suggested a deal could even be done in time for the next EU summit at the end of the month. His comments came after Irish government sources suggested a deal was very close. Asked if he thought a deal would be finalised at the summit, Mr Juncker said: I have reason to think that the rapprochement potential between both sides has increased in recent days. I'm always amazed that I'm always blamedJean-Claude Juncker In a wide-ranging interview, he suggested the European Commission could have helped bring about a different result in the referendum if David Camerons government had not asked him to stay out of the debate. Asked how he felt about being the first Commission president in the history of the EU to see a member leave the bloc, he said: If the Commission had intervened, perhaps the right questions would have entered the debate. He added: At that time it was already clear to us to what trials and tribulations this unfortunate vote of the British would lead to. Im always amazed that Im always blamed. Asked if an exit from Brexit was still possible, Mr Juncker said: That is in the discretion of the British Parliament and the Government. I do not interfere in inner cabinet debates in the UK. There is enough confusion. Mr Juncker also took a swipe at the British press, claiming they do not respect the human rights of political actors at all and adding: I will not miss it. A march in support of Scottish independence has seen tens of thousands of people take to the streets of Edinburgh. Organisers said more than 100,000 people attended, making the event the biggest ever in support of the cause. Police Scotland said the local authority estimates 20,000 people took part. Expand Close Yes flags blow in the wind as the campaigners march down the Royal Mile (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Yes flags blow in the wind as the campaigners march down the Royal Mile (Jane Barlow/PA) The All Under One Banner event began near Edinburgh Castle at 1pm on Saturday before making its way down the Royal Mile towards Holyrood Park. Gary Kelly, of the campaign group, said: Its amazing, the fight for independence is well and truly alive. Glasgow was the biggest, now Edinburghs beaten it well need to beat it again in Glasgow. The fact it was in the capital is brilliant. Linda Hamilton, from Glasgow, was one of those who took part. She said: I believe in Scottish independence and I believe today is a demonstration a visual demonstration that there is a need for independence in our country. Expand Close The march ended at Holyrood Park, where a rally took place featuring speeches and live bands (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The march ended at Holyrood Park, where a rally took place featuring speeches and live bands (Jane Barlow/PA) Bob McKendrie, 67, originally from Dumfries but now living near Hull, said: Westminster should listen to us, weve been ignored for too long we want our independence. A small number of union-supporting counter-protesters were on the Royal Mile as the pro-independence crowds walked past. They shouted they are proud to be Scottish and British. Independence supporter Iona Young, 20, from Dunfermline, claimed the contrast in numbers for each side showed their togetherness. She added: It just proves that we all agree on the same thing. There were a few unionists back at the top there, but theres only about 20 of them compared to how many weve got here. Scotland in Union chief executive Pamela Nash said: Poll after poll shows that a majority of Scots dont want a divisive and unnecessary second independence referendum. Those marching in Edinburgh are not representative of Scotland, and they are talking to nobody but themselves. The organisers should also be ashamed of the way they have attacked Historic Environment Scotland staff for doing their job. Expand Close Supporters of the union said they are proudly Scottish and British (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Supporters of the union said they are proudly Scottish and British (Jane Barlow/PA) Rather than listen to these protesters, most voters want the SNP to listen to concerns about the NHS, schools and the economy and they want Nicola Sturgeon to get back to the day job. Bands, bikers, people in fancy dress and countless Saltire flags were all part of the march towards Holyrood. Those who gathered in the park listened to speeches and live music performances. Others scaled Arthurs Seat to get a better view of the event. Expand Close The march began near Edinburgh Castle (PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The march began near Edinburgh Castle (PA) It comes despite Historic Environment Scotland which looks after the green space saying the rally had not been given permission to take place. A spokesman for the Scottish Government body said: Our position on use of the park for any rally after the march remains the same. It has not been overruled by Police Scotland. To confirm, we have not given permission for the set-up of stalls, staging, branding and other static presence within Holyrood Park. Inspector Murray Starkey said: Police Scotland worked alongside event organisers and partners for a planned march in the capital. Expand Close A young independence supporter had the Scottish flag painted on his face for the event (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp A young independence supporter had the Scottish flag painted on his face for the event (Jane Barlow/PA) City of Edinburgh Council estimate that 20,000 people took part in the march from Johnston Terrace to Holyrood Park. Disruption to the city centre was as expected and all roads reopened as planned. Queens Drive was temporarily closed to ensure public safety. One arrest was made in connection with a minor offence. Both the participants and the wider public are thanked for their patience and co-operation during the event. Soldiers from the Royal Regiment of Scotland have been welcomed home by their families after a six-month tour of duty. Crowds gathered in Ayr for a homecoming parade for 400 troops from the 2nd Battalion (2 Scots) of the regiment following their deployment in Iraq, South Sudan and Cyprus, where they worked with local military and UN forces. After the parade soldiers met with their loved ones, including Lance Corporal Anthony Boyle who was reunited with his six-year-old and seven-month-old daughters. The battalion then attended a reception in Ayr Town Hall where operational service medals were presented for their role in Iraq, which saw them provide training and mentoring for Kurdish security forces. In South Sudan, 2 Scots provided security to a British Army Engineer Battlegroup assisting a UN mission in the country, while they also joined UN troops patrolling the green line in Cyprus. Lieutenant Colonel DC Close, commanding officer of 2 Scots, said: After six months of performing operations, 2 Scots are back to say thank-you to our communities, to our recruiting areas, to our families and friends who have supported us throughout the last year. It is a joy to be in amongst our Scottish community, who play a major role in supporting us and have done for many years. The soldiers also added knitted poppies to a remembrance banner in Ayr Town Hall to mark the centenary of the end of the First World War. South Ayrshire Provost Helen Moonie said: I would like to thank the people of South Ayrshire for welcoming the soldiers home. I know how much it means to those that took part in the parade to see and hear people young and old cheering them on, its something that will stay with the men and women of 2 Scots for many years to come. Expand Close Corporal Martin Buchanan, from Ayr, is greeted with a smile by his six-month-old son Alfie (Jane Barlow/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Corporal Martin Buchanan, from Ayr, is greeted with a smile by his six-month-old son Alfie (Jane Barlow/PA) It was a particularly poignant moment to see serving soldiers attach crochet and knitted poppies to the First World War memorial banner in the town hall, and I would like to thank everyone who has contributed so far. Last month, soldiers from the Black Watch, 3rd Battalion, The Royal Regiment of Scotland (3 Scots) held a series of homecoming parades in the north of Scotland following their return from Iraq. Soldiers from 2 Scots will continue their homecoming events with a parade in Glasgow on Saturday. The commander of a US air carrier strike group has said he is comfortable with the threat posed by Russia as his aircraft carrier visits the UK. The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Harry S Truman has moored in the Solent close to Portsmouth Naval Base to allow its 5,000-strong crew a chance to visit the local area. Rear Admiral Eugene Gene Black, commander of carrier strike group 8 of the US Navy, said that the 100,000-ton carrier which has a 1,096ft long flight deck with 75 aircraft onboard was a symbol of power and flexibility which could be deployed wherever needed. We are up here operating in the north Atlantic and I think it sends the best signal possible of our commitment to NatoRear Admiral Eugene Black Earlier this year, the commanding officer of the Royal Navy aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth, Captain Jerry Kyd, described the Russian threat in the Atlantic as eye-watering. When asked by the Press Association if he agreed with this description, Rear Admiral Black said: They are professional mariners, good aviators, I am not sure I would go as far as eye-watering, I dont lose sleep over them. Im not sure I want to go into describing the threat but I can say we bring a lot of combat power, and when you match it up with Queen Elizabeth in the near future and some of our other Nato partners, I am very very comfortable at our ability to operate where we wish, when we wish. Describing his ships capability, he added: It is a pretty impressive symbol of power and flexibility, I can take this thing anywhere in the world, anywhere we are directed and we can work with partners and friends however we need to. Explaining his strike groups deployment strategy in response to Russia, he added: The best description is dynamic force deployment, so we are strategically predictable and operationally unpredictable. He continued: We are up here operating in the north Atlantic and I think it sends the best signal possible of our commitment to Nato, our partners in the region and how seriously we take our commitments in this part of the world. Rear Admiral Black said that the US Navy was happy to work alongside the navys new aircraft carrier. He said: We are absolutely thrilled to have the British back in the fixed wing and aviation business, they are absolute pros, I have operated with them many times and its wonderful to have the Royal Navy sailing alongside you because they are as good as they come. Expand Close The UKs new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (MoD/PA) Press Association Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The UKs new aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth (MoD/PA) When asked if he had any concerns about the F35 jets being purchased by the UK from the US to be deployed on the new carriers following a recent crash of one of the aircraft in South Carolina, he answered: Absolutely not, I know nothing about the crash and I cant comment either way about the F35s. Expand Close Captain Nicholas J Dienna, Commanding Officer of the USS Harry S Truman (Andrew Matthews/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Captain Nicholas J Dienna, Commanding Officer of the USS Harry S Truman (Andrew Matthews/PA) Captain Nicholas Dienna, the carriers commanding officer, said his crew had been looking forward to sampling the local beer and visiting local historical sites such as HMS Victory in Portsmouth and Stonehenge in Wiltshire. He said: From the bottom of the hearts of 5,000 men and women embarked in or assigned to USS Harry S Truman, I would like to say thank you to the people of the UK and the people of the city of Portsmouth for allowing us to spend some well-deserved time to rest in this wonderful city. A Congolese doctor who treats rape victims and an Iraqi woman who speaks out for those, like herself, who were raped and tortured by Islamic State have won the Nobel Peace Prize. Dr Denis Mukwege and Nadia Murad were recognised for their work to end the use of sexual violence as a weapon of war. Both "have made a crucial contribution to focusing attention on, and combating, such war crimes", the Norwegian Nobel Committee said. "Denis Mukwege is the helper who has devoted his life to defending these victims. Nadia Murad is the witness who tells of the abuses perpetrated against herself and others." Dr Mukwege (63) founded a hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo's eastern Bukavu region and has treated thousands of women, many of whom were victims of gang rape in the central African nation that has been wracked by conflict. At 19, Ms Murad was one of an estimated 3,000 Yazidi girls and women kidnapped in 2014 by IS militants in Iraq and sold into sex slavery. Interpol says it has asked Chinese authorities for information about its president Meng Hongwei, who seemingly vanished on a trip to China. The international police agency, based in France, said in a brief statement that it looks forward to an official response from Chinas authorities to address concerns over the presidents well-being. The Lyon-based agency said it used law enforcement channels to submit its request for information about Mr Mengs status. His wife says she has not heard from him since he left Lyon at the end of September. Statement by INTERPOL Secretary General Jurgen Stock pic.twitter.com/bRXYjDMCsc INTERPOL (@INTERPOL_HQ) October 6, 2018 France has launched its own investigation. Authorities say he boarded a plane and arrived in China, but the 64-year-olds subsequent whereabouts are unknown. Mr Meng is a vice minister for public security in China. The South China Morning Post, a Hong Kong newspaper, has suggested Mr Meng may have been the latest target of a campaign against corruption in China. The newspaper said that on landing last week Mr Meng was taken away for questioning by what it said were discipline authorities. The term usually describes investigators in the ruling Communist Party who probe corruption and political disloyalty. Expand Close The entrance hall of Interpols headquarters in Lyon (Laurent Cipriani/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The entrance hall of Interpols headquarters in Lyon (Laurent Cipriani/AP) The Central Commission for Discipline Inspection, the partys secretive internal investigation agency, had no announcements on its website about Mr Meng. He is the first from his country to serve as Interpols president, a post that is largely symbolic but powerful in status. Because Interpols secretary general is responsible for the day-to-day running of the agencys operations, his absence may have little operational effect. The organisation links police officials of its 192 member states, who can use Interpol to disseminate their search for a fugitive, or a missing person. Only at the behest of a country does the information go public by a red notice, the closest thing to an international arrest warrant. Yellow notices are issued for missing persons. Expand Close Xi Jinping (Andy Wong/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp Xi Jinping (Andy Wong/AP) Mr Mengs appointment as president in 2016 amid Chinese leader Xi Jinpings sweeping anti-corruption drive alarmed some human rights organisations, fearful it would embolden Beijing to strike out at dissidents and refugees abroad. He has held various positions in Chinas security establishment, including as a vice minister of public security since 2004. His term as Interpol president runs until 2020. His duties in China would have put him in close proximity to former leaders, some who fell foul of Mr Xis campaign. He probably dealt extensively with former security chief Zhou Yongkang, now serving a life sentence for corruption. A jury has convicted white Chicago police Officer Jason Van Dyke of second-degree murder in the 2014 shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke was charged with first degree-murder in the October 2014 killing, a charge that requires a finding that the shooting was unnecessary and unreasonable. The judge told jurors the second-degree charge was also available requiring them to find Van Dyke believed his life was in danger, but that the belief was unreasonable. Jurors also convicted him of aggravated battery, but acquitted him of official misconduct. Expand Close The grave of Laquan McDonald (Martha Irvine/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook Twitter Email Whatsapp The grave of Laquan McDonald (Martha Irvine/AP) It is the first time in 50 years that a Chicago police officer has been convicted of murder for an on-duty death. Mr McDonald was carrying a knife when Van Dyke fired 16 shots into the 17-year-old as he walked away from police. Second-degree murder usually carries a sentence of less than 20 years. By far the most serious charge Van Dyke, 40, faced was first-degree murder, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison. But Judge Vincent Gaughan told jurors before they began deliberating that they could consider the charge of second-degree murder. Second-degree murder typically carries a sentence of less than 20 years, especially for someone with no criminal history. Probation is not an option for a first-degree murder conviction, but it is with second-degree murder. Van Dyke was the first Chicago police officer to be charged with murder for an on-duty shooting in more than 50 years. That case, which also involved an officer shooting someone with a knife, ended in conviction in 1970. The verdict is the latest chapter in a story that has made headlines since a judge ordered the release of a patrol car video of the shooting in November 2015. Officers had Mr McDonald largely surrounded on a city street and were waiting for someone to arrive with a stun gun to use on the teenager when Van Dyke arrived, according to testimony and video. The video, played repeatedly at trial, showed Van Dyke opening firing. Mr McDonald spins, then crumples to the ground. Van Dyke continues to shoot when the 17-year-old is lying in the street. Protesters against Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh gather in the atrium of the Hart Senate Office Building (Manuel Balce Ceneta/AP) Protesters have disrupted the Senates vote on Brett Kavanaughs confirmation to the Supreme Court. Demonstrators began shouting I do not consent as the roll call on Mr Kavanaugh began. Senators were seated at their desks for the vote. When Sen Jeff Flake of Arizona cast his vote in favour of Mr Kavanaugh, one protester shouted: Youre a coward Flake, a total coward. Vice President Mike Pence, who is presiding, repeatedly called for the Senate sergeant-at-arms to restore order in the chamber. The protesters were removed by gallery staff. Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 463563 10-05-2018 10:11 PM Post: #1 Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers Advertisement https://www.cbsnews.com/news/south-carol...k-hopkins/ According to a senior law enforcement source, the shooter was Frederick Hopkins, a 74-year-old Vietnam War veteran and disbarred attorney who is known to law enforcement as an accomplished marksmen. Florence Police Chief Allen Heidler said the officers were overwhelmed during the ambush. 1110.00) lop guest User ID: 198896 10-05-2018 10:12 PM Post: #2 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers One of those "flying saucer" vets, like on that "news" program - I forget what it is called. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 456532 10-06-2018 01:22 AM Post: #3 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 453005 10-06-2018 01:40 AM Post: #4 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers He was running 3 gun matches on the regular. I would guess that had more to do with the demonstrated acumen. Archangel Michael User ID: 466182 10-06-2018 01:42 AM Posts: 14,103 Post: #5 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers What took him over the line? I tried reading a thread about it, but I didn't see what set him off. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466325 10-06-2018 01:47 AM Post: #6 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers Another fine democrat LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 463592 10-06-2018 01:55 AM Post: #7 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:47 AM) Another fine democrat Not this time. Look how close Winter Park is to Lake Nona. Google "who built Lake Nona" They have a VA hospital there. They are turning out Manchurian candidates. Look how many shooters have connections to Florida. Not this time.Look how close Winter Park is to Lake Nona.Google "who built Lake Nona"They have a VA hospital there.They are turning out Manchurian candidates.Look how many shooters have connections to Florida. Archangel Michael User ID: 466182 10-06-2018 02:01 AM Posts: 14,103 Post: #8 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers The way the VA used to treat Vets, I'm surprised more haven't happened. Grace of God. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466356 10-06-2018 02:03 AM Post: #9 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:55 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:47 AM) Another fine democrat Not this time. Look how close Winter Park is to Lake Nona. Google "who built Lake Nona" They have a VA hospital there. They are turning out Manchurian candidates. Look how many shooters have connections to Florida. Tavist0ck Tavist0ck LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465047 10-06-2018 02:06 AM Post: #10 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:55 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:47 AM) Another fine democrat Not this time. Look how close Winter Park is to Lake Nona. Google "who built Lake Nona" They have a VA hospital there. They are turning out Manchurian candidates. Look how many shooters have connections to Florida. VA Medical Center The 1.2 million-square-foot Orlando VA Medical Center serves the regions 400,000 veterans by providing acute care, complex specialty care, advanced diagnostic services, a large multi specialty outpatient clinic, administrative and support services. This campus is also home to the SimLEARN National Simulation Center. http://www.lakenona.com/health/medical-c...al-center/ VA Medical CenterThe 1.2 million-square-foot Orlando VA Medical Center serves the regions 400,000 veterans by providing acute care, complex specialty care, advanced diagnostic services, a large multi specialty outpatient clinic, administrative and support services. This campus is also home to the SimLEARN National Simulation Center. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465047 10-06-2018 02:07 AM Post: #11 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers Archangel Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:01 AM) The way the VA used to treat Vets, I'm surprised more haven't happened. Grace of God. Orlando VA Medical Center at Lake Nona https://www.orlando.va.gov/locations/directions.asp Scroll down. Read the directions how to get there? See anything strange? Orlando VA Medical Center at Lake NonaScroll down. Read the directions how to get there?See anything strange? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465047 10-06-2018 02:08 AM Post: #12 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers Build-to-Suit and For-Lease Medical Office Opportunities http://tavistockdevelopment.com/portfoli...s-cluster/ Lake Nonas Health & Life Sciences ClusterBuild-to-Suit and For-Lease Medical Office Opportunities LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466357 10-06-2018 02:08 AM Post: #13 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers Could have been dementia related. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465516 10-06-2018 02:13 AM Post: #14 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers Archangel Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:42 AM) What took him over the line? I tried reading a thread about it, but I didn't see what set him off. At this point, I'm beginning to suspect foul play, on the part of the police. The Sheriff has a substance abuse problem, and dismissed State investigators in a strange manner. I'm not calling it a FF, but "Something fawky happened". There had better be unedited body cams from the officers on the ground(should be a criminal offense for a police officer not to have one, and engaging in police duties if it is broken or malfunctioning). At this point, I'm beginning to suspect foul play, on the part of the police. The Sheriff has a substance abuse problem, and dismissed State investigators in a strange manner. I'm not calling it a FF, but "Something fawky happened".There had better be unedited body cams from the officers on the ground(should be a criminal offense for a police officer not to have one, and engaging in police duties if it is broken or malfunctioning). LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465516 10-06-2018 02:18 AM Post: #15 RE: Vietnam War vet identified as suspect in deadly ambush of 7 officers LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:55 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:47 AM) Another fine democrat Not this time. Look how close Winter Park is to Lake Nona. Google "who built Lake Nona" They have a VA hospital there. They are turning out Manchurian candidates. Look how many shooters have connections to Florida. Sadly, I had white neighbors, that moved North from Florida, and based upon a cross country trip I once went on, Whites do not belong south of Central Tennessee. The climate isn't suitable to Gaelic, Germanic, Flemish or Norse, Caucasian biology. I suspect, the increase of erratic behavior is due to brain damage caused by mini heat strokes, over the course of ones lifetime in those climates. Some may call me racist for supporting strong ethnic and racial segregation, but I also support biological territorial segregation. Sure, many humanoids are sentient, self aware, lifeforms, but we are still biological beings, whose bodies survive best in different climates. In much the same way, Whites don't belong anywhere near the Equator, the darker races/breeds, do not belong in the Northern Hemisphere, as they begin to develop their own ecological health problems, from being removed from their natural environment. Sadly, I had white neighbors, that moved North from Florida, and based upon a cross country trip I once went on, Whites do not belong south of Central Tennessee. The climate isn't suitable to Gaelic, Germanic, Flemish or Norse, Caucasian biology.I suspect, the increase of erratic behavior is due to brain damage caused by mini heat strokes, over the course of ones lifetime in those climates.Some may call me racist for supporting strong ethnic and racial segregation, but I also support biological territorial segregation. Sure, many humanoids are sentient, self aware, lifeforms, but we are still biological beings, whose bodies survive best in different climates.In much the same way, Whites don't belong anywhere near the Equator, the darker races/breeds, do not belong in the Northern Hemisphere, as they begin to develop their own ecological health problems, from being removed from their natural environment. Advertisement Bangladeshs Rapid Action Battalion personnel detain a suspected extremist after he surrendered in Ashulia community, near the capital Dhaka, July 16, 2017. Two suspected members of a banned Bangladeshi militant group blew themselves up Friday as security forces cordoned off a house occupied by the pair in Southeastern Chittagong district, an official said. Members of the elite anti-crime unit Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) were urging the two suspected militants to surrender but the duo opened fire, prompting officials to fire back, spokesman Mufti Mahmud Khan told a news conference. During the exchange of fire, the suspects killed themselves in a suicide explosion, Khan said. The exchange of fire continued for about half an hour. At one stage, the militants exploded two bombs, Khan said. The two men were believed to be members of the Jamaat-ul Mujahideen Bangladesh (JMB), he said. Khan said the two militants were planning to attack a local court. Police seized an AK-22 rifle, three pistols, five improvised explosive devices, explosives and bomb-making materials, he said. It was the second suicide blast in Bangladesh this year. Three militants killed themselves as law enforcers raided their hideout in Dhakas Nakhalpara neighborhood on Jan. 12, authorities said. Officials have accused the JMB and its offshoot Neo-JMB of involvement in attacks on secular activists and foreign targets, including the 2016 attack on a cafe in an affluent Dhaka community. The U.S. State Department in February declared the Neo-JMB as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, allowing Washington to block assets that members of the group affiliated with the Islamic State (IS) may have in American jurisdictions. The designation also bars U.S. citizens from making financial transactions with the Bangladeshi terrorists. Gunmen belonging to the Neo-JMB shot and killed an Italian aid worker in Dhaka in September 2015, according to a State Department news release, which also said that the group had claimed attacks carried out across the country, including an overnight siege at the Dhaka cafe in 2016. In all, 29 people, including the five militants, died when the gunmen who claimed to be members of the Neo-JMB stormed the Holey Artisan Bakery cafe, killing 20 hostages, police said. Since the attack, officials have rejected allegations of IS presence in the country even as security forces have launched crackdowns that led to the killings of top JMB leaders, mostly in what police said were shootouts. An activist holds a sign bearing a portrait of jailed photographer Shahidul Alam during a protest outside the Bangladeshi High Commission in Colombo, Sri Lanka, Oct. 2, 2018. A High Court panel is scheduled on Sunday to hear a fifth bail request for noted photographer Shahidul Alam since his arrest and jailing two months ago for allegedly violating Bangladeshs online defamation laws. Alam was arrested on Aug. 5 after he posted Facebook updates and gave an interview to Al Jazeera about week-long street protests which broke out after two students were run down by a bus. So far, he has been denied three requests for bail in four hearings. My belief is the charges brought against Alam will ultimately not be proved in court. This is because the charges are baseless, his wife, Rehnuma Ahmed, told BenarNews. Police told the court that investigators feared Alam could leave the country if granted bail. The investigation of the charges against Shahidul Alam is ongoing. It is not possible to predict a timeframe for filing the charge-sheet, Moshiur Rahman, deputy commissioner of the polices detective branch, which filed the case under the Information and Communication Technology, told BenarNews. Alams wife challenged the police statement regarding bail. This is absolutely the wrong idea that Shahidul will flee, Ahmed said. Bail attempts A court turned down Alams first bail request when it granted police a seven-day remand to hold Alam for questioning. Since then, defense lawyers have appealed to the High Court and a lower court to free Alam. On Aug. 14, a Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court denied him another bail request. Two weeks later, Alams attorneys submitted a bail petition before the High Court. On Sept. 4, a panel refused to hear the petition, forcing the chief justice to order another panel to take on the case. The second High Court petition ordered the lower Sessions Court to handle the bail petition, and the lower court rejected it on Sept. 11. Seven days later, the defense lawyers returned to the High Court seeking Alams release. That panel is expected to hear the latest bail request on Sunday. While he lingers behind bars, the High Court ordered that Alam be moved to a more comfortable cell with better food. A plane towing a banner calling for Shahidul Alam to be freed in Bangladesh flies over the Statue of Liberty in New York, Sept. 30, 2018. (Photo courtesy of Wasfia Nazreen) Worldwide protests Since Alams incarceration, Bangladeshis have launched protests in Dhaka and across the globe. About a month ago, supporters posted a Facebook video of men wearing cages to signify being locked up as they sang a protest song, while hundreds gathered in Dhaka to protest Alams arrest. The protesters set up a motorcycle helmet where they gave alms and worshipped its power. The helmet was significant because during the earlier street protests that Alam had reported on just hours before his arrest, stick-wielding gangs attacked students. Seeking a global stage, a group whose Facebook page is titled In support of Shahidul Alam, took to the skies over New York City during the U.N. General Assembly on Sept. 30. The group hired an airplane to tow a banner that read Free Shahidul Alam. Dr. Alam is an inspiration for Bangladesh and beyond. He should be celebrated amongst Bangladeshis for the treasure and pride that he is, said Bangladesh mountaineer Wasifa Nazreen, who has summited the worlds seven highest mountains and was on the plane flying over New York. We, the youth of Bangladesh who comprise almost 70 percent of the nation, urge the government of Bangladesh to immediately and unconditionally release him and all our teachers. Two days earlier when Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina addressed the General Assembly, actress Sharon Stone, American human rights activist Kerry Kennedy, Columbia University Professor Gayatri Chakravorty Spivak and others took to the streets in New York to protest Alams arrest. What is really important for the state is that if one silences the creative artists and intellectuals, then the conscience of the state is killed because its the role of the creative artists and intellectuals to make constructive criticism so that the state can be a real democracy, Spivak said in a news release issued by South Asian Citizens Web. Seven foreigners were among eight men arrested by Malaysian officers on suspicion of involvement in Southeast Asian recruitment efforts by a terror cell linked to a Yemen-based Salafi extremist group, Malaysias police chief announced Saturday. The arrests were carried out during coordinated raids in Perlis, Kuala Lumpur and Johor on Sept. 24, Police Inspector-General Mohamad Fuzi Harun said in a statement. Six of the foreigners were students at an Islamic school located in the northern state of Perlis, Fuzi said. The arrests by counter-terrorist police were made following an intelligence report obtained by the police regarding efforts by a Salafi Jihadist terror group in Yemen to establish a school in the Southeast Asian region to propagate Salafi Jihadism ideology, Fuzi said. Five of the suspects came from the same European country while a sixth suspect was a citizen of a country in the Americas. He did not elaborate, but said the eight suspects ranged from 24 to 38 years old and that most of them, based on information shared by foreign intelligence, were linked in their home countries to the so-called Islamic State (IS) organization or other extremist groups. A former student of the school and a former member of its faculty were among those arrested, Fuzi said. He did not disclose the schools name. The former teacher, 33, who comes from the Middle East, was arrested in Kuala Lumpur and known to be giving unsanctioned classes in the Malaysian capital on Salafi Jihadism, the police chief said. All eight suspects were connected to a madrassa, or Islamic boarding school, in Yemen that was founded by an icon of Salafi Jihadist movement, the late Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadii, according to Fuzi. The Yemeni madrassa adheres to strict Salafi Jihadist ideology that allows for the murder of non-Muslims and Muslims who differ from them in their beliefs, Fuzi said. They also label democracy as a system hostile to God. The eight men were arrested on suspicion of committing terrorist-related offenses and were being investigated under the Security Offenses (Special Measures) Act (SOSMA), Fuzi said. None of the suspects have been charged yet. Ayob Khan Mydin Pitchay, the chief of the Malaysian polices counter-terrorist special branch, told BenarNews that the school in Perlis where most of the suspects were arrested had been operating since 2011. He declined to reveal the campuss name. Perlis is reputed for permitting the Salafist or Wahhabist strain of Islam that has been exported to Southeast Asian Muslim countries by predominantly Sunni Saudi Arabia. Salafism is a revivalist movement that advocates for the return to the Islam as practiced during the time of Prophet Muhammad. Reacting to the Fuzis announcement about the arrests, Asri Zainal Abidin, the mufti of Perlis, said the state was not a center for radical teachings, according to Bernama, the Malaysian government-run news service. He said students who intended to pursue their studies at religious learning centers in Perlis, as well as teachers who wanted to work there, must first be screened by police as a security measure. I always ask the state police chief about the students at these learning centers, especially the foreigners, Bernama quoted him as saying. Only with police confirmation will we allow them (to pursue studies at the religious learning centers). Earlier last month, Malaysian police said they had arrested five other suspects who were allegedly involved in a terrorist plot targeting a country in the Middle East. When he announced those arrests at the time, Fuzi did not identify the country in question but said the five were believed to be members of an extremist group known as Asoib. A government source told BenarNews then that the suspects had planned to travel to Yemen to carry out the attack in neighboring Saudi Arabia. Yemen has been a hotbed of al-Qaeda, like in other countries in the Middle East. Some groups which advocate Salafi Jihadism set up school there, Ahmad El Muhammady, an expert on counterterrorism at the International Islamic University Malaysia, told BenarNews. According to him, such groups are taking advantage of an interest in Islamic studies among Malaysians by importing Yemeni-based teachings into the country. Unfortunately the content is Salafi jihadism, El Muhammady said. Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 0 Vote(s) - 0 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466343 10-06-2018 12:26 AM Post: #1 Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin Advertisement Almaz design bureau custom job, they've has this ready to roll for 6 months. Grab the popcorn. Fully upgraded missiles, radar and control systems. They have also assigned Russian operations teams to train Syrian troops and optimize usage. They will also network with the S400 installation and extensive radar installation in LatakiaAlmaz design bureau custom job, they've has this ready to roll for 6 months.Grab the popcorn. Moranic_Mayhem lop guest User ID: 345079 10-06-2018 01:01 AM Post: #2 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin Annnd? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466350 10-06-2018 01:05 AM Post: #3 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin Moranic_Mayhem Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:01 AM) Annnd? Counter moves...Israel in check. Counter moves...Israel in check. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465516 10-06-2018 02:35 AM Post: #4 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 12:26 AM) Fully upgraded missiles, radar and control systems. They have also assigned Russian operations teams to train Syrian troops and optimize usage. They will also network with the S400 installation and extensive radar installation in Latakia Almaz design bureau custom job, they've has this ready to roll for 6 months. Grab the popcorn. Here comes reality: It was built by Slavic's, who often have an IQ under 95. It might work, or it might not. Don't get me wrong, Slavic geniuses are pretty damn imaginative and super intelligent in their own right(Tesla anyone?), but the average Slavic? Yeah, not so much. Here comes reality:It was built by Slavic's, who often have an IQ under 95. It might work, or it might not.Don't get me wrong, Slavic geniuses are pretty damn imaginative and super intelligent in their own right(Tesla anyone?), but the average Slavic? Yeah, not so much. Pasta Lover Registered User User ID: 418981 10-06-2018 02:37 AM Posts: 9,463 Post: #5 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin They've had the 400s there for a while. They are there to protect the Russian forces. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466332 10-06-2018 02:43 AM Post: #6 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin More theater. Russia could have just sold all of this stuff to Syria years ago and Syria would have roundly defeated the terrorists just as quick. But Russia doesn't want the terrorists to be defeated, they just want to prolong the war to please their masters in Washington. Did they really ship anything or is it just posturing to pretend that Putin is "standing up" to Israel when in fact he is an obedient puppet? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466372 10-06-2018 03:01 AM Post: #7 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:37 AM) They've had the 400s there for a while. They are there to protect the Russian forces. Yes but now the Syrian government has them. Yes but now the Syrian government has them. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466372 10-06-2018 03:02 AM Post: #8 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:43 AM) More theater. Russia could have just sold all of this stuff to Syria years ago and Syria would have roundly defeated the terrorists just as quick. But Russia doesn't want the terrorists to be defeated, they just want to prolong the war to please their masters in Washington. Did they really ship anything or is it just posturing to pretend that Putin is "standing up" to Israel when in fact he is an obedient puppet? You have no idea how difficult urban combat is do you? You have no idea how difficult urban combat is do you? LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 436986 10-06-2018 03:03 AM Post: #9 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin Good. The invading and attacking, uninvited fuckfaces of all kinds need to go home and/or stay out of where they're not invited.. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466332 10-06-2018 03:29 AM Post: #10 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:02 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:43 AM) More theater. Russia could have just sold all of this stuff to Syria years ago and Syria would have roundly defeated the terrorists just as quick. But Russia doesn't want the terrorists to be defeated, they just want to prolong the war to please their masters in Washington. Did they really ship anything or is it just posturing to pretend that Putin is "standing up" to Israel when in fact he is an obedient puppet? You have no idea how difficult urban combat is do you? Syria has to use inaccurate barrel bombs because Russia doesn't want to sell them missiles for their planes. Just one example there. Syria has to use inaccurate barrel bombs because Russia doesn't want to sell them missiles for their planes. Just one example there. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466386 10-06-2018 03:49 AM Post: #11 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:29 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:02 AM) You have no idea how difficult urban combat is do you? Syria has to use inaccurate barrel bombs because Russia doesn't want to sell them missiles for their planes. Just one example there. So much derp I dont know where to start.... So much derp I dont know where to start.... LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466388 10-06-2018 03:53 AM Post: #12 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:35 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 12:26 AM) Fully upgraded missiles, radar and control systems. They have also assigned Russian operations teams to train Syrian troops and optimize usage. They will also network with the S400 installation and extensive radar installation in Latakia Almaz design bureau custom job, they've has this ready to roll for 6 months. Grab the popcorn. Here comes reality: It was built by Slavic's, who often have an IQ under 95. It might work, or it might not. Don't get me wrong, Slavic geniuses are pretty damn imaginative and super intelligent in their own right(Tesla anyone?), but the average Slavic? Yeah, not so much. They probably get more vitamins and mineral from their food then you do with your processed microwave sh*t. Keep buying what their selling son They probably get more vitamins and mineral from their food then you do with your processed microwave sh*t.Keep buying what their selling son LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466390 10-06-2018 03:58 AM Post: #13 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:29 AM) LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:02 AM) You have no idea how difficult urban combat is do you? Syria has to use inaccurate barrel bombs because Russia doesn't want to sell them missiles for their planes. Just one example there. barrel bombs are pretty damn effective. Whats easier then loading s ton of ordinance you cant use (or returning it back to its owners) into a barrel and dropping it on the heads of those you dont want around anymore...Very Effective. More so then a $100K ATGW now being use to shoot at troops with barrel bombs are pretty damn effective. Whats easier then loading s ton of ordinance you cant use (or returning it back to its owners) into a barrel and dropping it on the heads of those you dont want around anymore...Very Effective. More so then a $100K ATGW now being use to shoot at troops with Bao2 Banned User ID: 422170 10-06-2018 04:26 AM Posts: 12,562 Post: #14 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin Moranic_Mayhem Wrote: (10-06-2018 01:01 AM) Annnd? If you want to have more veterans dead in USA send them to Syria now to fight for Israel trying to grab south of Syria. Trying. If you want to have more veterans dead in USA send them to Syria now to fight for Israel trying to grab south of Syria. Trying. (This post was last modified: 10-06-2018 04:27 AM by Bao2 .) Pasta Lover Registered User User ID: 418981 10-06-2018 05:03 AM Posts: 9,463 Post: #15 RE: Russia delivered S400 in a S300 skin LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:01 AM) Pasta Lover Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:37 AM) They've had the 400s there for a while. They are there to protect the Russian forces. Yes but now the Syrian government has them. The Syrian government won't have total control of the S300 complexes. They will be at least partially manned by Russian forces. The Syrian government won't have total control of the S300 complexes. They will be at least partially manned by Russian forces. Advertisement Username: Password: or Register Thread Rating: 2 Vote(s) - 3 Average 1 2 3 4 5 Page: 1 2 German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. Loud Sneeze lop guest User ID: 397577 10-06-2018 02:17 AM Post: #1 German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. Advertisement https://voiceofeurope.com/2018/10/german...Px.twitter German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant violence Her house vandalised as well By STAN M 5 October 2018 During a Poetry Slam in Speyer, Ida-Marie Muller a 14-year-old girl dared to ridicule the welcome culture of the left and denounce refugee rapists all in one. Not only did she receive the most applause for her poem but would have won the competition because the winner was determined this way. From far away the man fell into the hands of traffickers, with no passport and a mobile phone. He arrived in our hallowed German land. Because he cant get a lady, he helped himself to one with a knife. The left-wing organisers couldnt have that, of course, and simply disqualified her, the winner. She was barred from the award ceremony and another competitor was awarded first prize. German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant violence Her house vandalised as wellBy STAN M 5 October 2018During a Poetry Slam in Speyer, Ida-Marie Muller a 14-year-old girl dared to ridicule the welcome culture of the left and denounce refugee rapists all in one.Not only did she receive the most applause for her poem but would have won the competition because the winner was determined this way.From far away the man fell into the hands of traffickers, with no passport and a mobile phone. He arrived in our hallowed German land. Because he cant get a lady, he helped himself to one with a knife.The left-wing organisers couldnt have that, of course, and simply disqualified her, the winner. She was barred from the award ceremony and another competitor was awarded first prize. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 460404 10-06-2018 02:53 AM Post: #2 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. they've burnt out the minds and destroyed all germans who would oppose destruction of their culture , destruction of their people http://www.mikrowellenterror.de it takes more than just "talk" to get a people to assist in their own replacement , allowing themselves to be replaced as the majority in their own country this is the result of Israel and the jews using directed energy , mind control weapons in Germany for many decades nowthey've burnt out the minds and destroyed all germans who would oppose destruction of their culture , destruction of their peopleit takes more than just "talk" to get a people to assist in their own replacement , allowing themselves to be replaced as the majority in their own country LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466321 10-06-2018 03:12 AM Post: #3 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 465516 10-06-2018 03:28 AM Post: #4 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 02:53 AM) this is the result of Israel and the jews using directed energy , mind control weapons in Germany for many decades now they've burnt out the minds and destroyed all germans who would oppose destruction of their culture , destruction of their people http://www.mikrowellenterror.de it takes more than just "talk" to get a people to assist in their own replacement , allowing themselves to be replaced as the majority in their own country Sadly, your wrong, it is an act of God. Read Jeremiah, and replace "Ephraim/Israel", with "Germany". There is a reason why this started, exactly 70 years after WW2 ended. God's goal is simple, give Ephraim's Children* two choices: Flee to the land of promise, or die. That is why if you study regions in America, Canada and elsewhere, even South Africa, you see the same exact pattern of genocide against Germanic's. God wants to thin the numbers enough, so that God can use Germanic's as a bone soup, to heal the Jew's of their innate biological evil doing. If that doesn't work, then God will just slaughter every last Jew and call it a day( fawk the Germanic's if it doesn't work out? It is why I gave up on God, for God is an unrighteous Judge, who punishes the least sin as the greatest, and the greatest as the least; my heart is weary of corrupt judges.). It is one of the reason's, Israel is obsessed with land expansion, as the Israeli government is run by fanatics obsessed with fulfilling Biblical prophecy, and they know they will need more land for the influx. I wouldn't be surprised, if eventually, dirty bombs are used to make Germany uninhabitable. God tries to offer the Germanic's and olive branch, by swearing to utterly, and brutally, exterminate "Ephraims" enemies(Allied Powers). Why do you think, the allied power leadership went nutters as the 70 year period of rest, came to a close? The reality is, every single Anglo Saxon, French, Polish, Dane, Czech, Polish, Russian and etc, in the next few years, will all be eradicated. I must admit, a world without Anglo Saxons, is a pleasant idea to contemplate, but it is all a lie to prop-up prophecy, as Ephraim is long dead. The German tribes are descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, but are not the lost tribes themselves, as they are all dead now. Sadly, your wrong, it is an act of God.Read Jeremiah, and replace "Ephraim/Israel", with "Germany". There is a reason why this started, exactly 70 years after WW2 ended. God's goal is simple, give Ephraim's Children* two choices: Flee to the land of promise, or die.That is why if you study regions in America, Canada and elsewhere, even South Africa, you see the same exact pattern of genocide against Germanic's. God wants to thin the numbers enough, so that God can use Germanic's as a bone soup, to heal the Jew's of their innate biological evil doing.If that doesn't work, then God will just slaughter every last Jew and call it a day(It is why I gave up on God, for God is an unrighteous Judge, who punishes the least sin as the greatest, and the greatest as the least; my heart is weary of corrupt judges.).It is one of the reason's, Israel is obsessed with land expansion, as the Israeli government is run by fanatics obsessed with fulfilling Biblical prophecy, and they know they will need more land for the influx.I wouldn't be surprised, if eventually, dirty bombs are used to make Germany uninhabitable.God tries to offer the Germanic's and olive branch, by swearing to utterly, and brutally, exterminate "Ephraims" enemies(Allied Powers). Why do you think, the allied power leadership went nutters as the 70 year period of rest, came to a close?The reality is, every single Anglo Saxon, French, Polish, Dane, Czech, Polish, Russian and etc, in the next few years, will all be eradicated. I must admit, a world without Anglo Saxons, is a pleasant idea to contemplate, but it is all a lie to prop-up prophecy, as Ephraim is long dead.The German tribes are descendants of the lost tribes of Israel, but are not the lost tribes themselves, as they are all dead now. LoP Guest lop guest User ID: 466377 10-06-2018 03:32 AM Post: #5 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. She may not be a nazi. Or maybe she is. But YOU definitely are a nazi OP. D3VILSR3J3CT ... User ID: 464456 10-06-2018 03:56 AM Posts: 15,604 Post: #6 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:12 AM) Illumisketti Registered User User ID: 418616 10-06-2018 04:10 AM Posts: 789 Post: #7 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. Nazism (National Socialism ) was a leftist movement. Loud Sneeze lop guest User ID: 397577 10-06-2018 04:24 AM Post: #8 RE: German teenage girl called Nazi for reading poem about migrant rape. LoP Guest Wrote: (10-06-2018 03:32 AM) She may not be a nazi. Or maybe she is. But YOU definitely are a nazi OP. WOMP WOMP "She might be a nazi for speaking out against mohammedan rape" - libfuc